Incentive
by MegTDJ
Summary: When the life of someone Daniel loves is in danger, how far will he go to save them? Sequel to Disappearing Act. DanJan
1. Chapter 1

Title: Incentive  
Author: MegTDJ  
Category: Angst/drama; romance  
Rating: M (Mature)  
Pairing: Daniel/Janet established relationship  
Spoilers: Set in season 6, in an AU where Meridian never happened.  
Warnings: Mature subject matter  
Summary: When the life of someone Daniel loves is in danger, how far will he go to save them? (Sequel to Disappearing Act)  
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1, its universe and its characters are not mine. The story itself is, however, so please don't archive without my permission.

Author's notes: I'm trying really hard not to offer a major disclaimer on this fic (because Kerri told me not to :P), but I feel as though I do need to say something. So, um... I guess I'll just ask that you please forgive any glaring errors in the science of this fic. Research isn't exactly my forte, but I did my best!

Many thanks to Kerri, Misty, Julie, Mara, and anybody I've forgotten that helped me out with various aspects of this fic. It was pretty tough to write in places, so I needed all the help I could get!

**Incentive**

**Chapter 1**

_"Chak. Da. Minal kara."_

_"Please, just let me go. Please!"_

Daniel jerked awake and bolted upright in the bed. He gasped for breath as he tried to regain his bearings. He wasn't in that place... he was home. He was safe in bed. Nothing to be afraid of.

"Another bad dream?"

Daniel sank back down onto his pillows and wiped the sweat from his face with his hand. "Yeah," he said. "Is it just me, or are the nightmares always worse after we make love?"

Janet smiled sympathetically and snuggled up against his side. "It'll get better," she said as she started stroking his chest. "It's only been six months. It's probably just that you're still uncomfortable being naked and... feeling vulnerable. When it comes right down to it, you were more or less raped, Daniel. It makes sense that..."

"Can we not talk about that, please?" Daniel said. He shivered and snaked his arm around his wife to draw her closer. No matter how much time passed, he knew he would never be able to think about that place without feeling a chill.

"I'm sorry," she said. She kissed his chest and wrapped her arm securely around his middle. "Just don't worry about it, okay? You're doing great. Dr. Mackenzie has cleared you, you're back at work... you've got your sexy muscles back," she added playfully as she ran her hand over his chest and stomach.

"Oh, I get it," Daniel teased. "You just married me for my body."

Janet lifted her head to smile at him. "You'd better believe it," she said, and kissed him sweetly on the lips.

Daniel laughed as she laid her head back down on his chest. "Then I guess we're even," he said.

Janet pinched him hard, making him yelp. "Smart ass," she said. "Go back to sleep."

"Yes, ma'am." Daniel sighed contentedly and rested his cheek against the top of her head.

Within moments, Janet's breathing became deep and even as she drifted off to sleep. Daniel just lay there listening to her, soaking up the feeling of peace and security she always gave him. That was a feeling he still needed desperately, even though he'd been home safe and sound for weeks. The fear that it was all just a dream or a reprieve - that one day he would wake up back in that place again, or that the disease would return in full force - was always at the back of his mind.

Part of him was constantly trying to forget and move on with his life, but another part was always whispering to him in the dead of night that they were still watching him... waiting for him. That nothing was ever going to be alright again. Whenever these thoughts threatened to take control of him, he would reach out for Janet, and she was always there with words of comfort and logic or even just the silent assurance of her presence. He honestly didn't think he could have made it through the past few months without her.

Daniel lay awake for the next couple of hours lost in thought, gently stroking Janet's hair from time to time as she slept. It took him completely by surprise when the alarm clock went off.

Janet grunted and rolled away from him as Daniel reached over to shut it off.

Daniel smiled and moved to wrap his arm around her. "Good morning, Sunshine," he whispered into her ear, exulting in the fact that he'd been the one to say it to her for a change. "Rise and shine."

Janet gave him a sleepy grin and cracked one eye open. "Since when are you so awake at this hour?" she asked.

"Since I've been lying awake for two hours watching you sleep," Daniel said.

Janet's face fell and her expression became one of concern. "Daniel, you should have been sleeping," she said. "Are you feeling alright?"

Daniel shrugged off her worries. "I'm fine," he said. "Just couldn't sleep."

"Will you be okay to go to work?" she asked as she sat up and pulled the sheets up to her neck to protect against the cool of the spring morning.

"Yeah, of course," Daniel said. He turned away from her to get out of bed and grab his robe so that she wouldn't see his true feelings on the matter. The truth was, he still got a little creeped out every time the off-world activation alarm sounded, and it was starting to make him dread going to work. He was trying to keep this little issue to himself, as he knew he'd just be sent back to Dr. Mackenzie if anyone found out. It wasn't easy.

Thankfully, his avoidance technique seemed to work, as Janet didn't call him on it. "Do you want to take the first shower?" she asked mid-yawn.

"Sure," he said. "You look like you need to wake up a bit more before you actually stand."

Janet made a face at him and turned over onto her side to hug her pillow. "Don't use up all the hot water."

Daniel made a face back at her, even though she was no longer looking at him, and headed into the bathroom.

It didn't take long for Daniel to do his morning ablutions, and then he handed the bathroom over to Janet while he got dressed in the bedroom. It felt very strange to be doing things in that order when Janet had always been the first one in the house to get up. Unless she'd worked late, in which case she would be the last by a few hours. He'd become somewhat of a stickler for routine since his ordeal, so he wasn't completely comfortable with it.

The shower had long turned off by the time he was ready to go downstairs for breakfast, but as Janet hadn't emerged from the bathroom yet, Daniel thought he should poke his head in and tell her. He was just pushing the door open when he heard Janet mutter, "Oh, God."

"What is it?" he asked, concerned that she might have hurt herself.

Janet looked over at him in surprise and dropped whatever she'd been holding in her hands into a drawer. "Nothing," she said. "It's nothing."

Daniel studied her closely, not sure what to make of her brush off. "Didn't sound like nothing," he said. "What's up?"

"I, uh..." Janet sighed and shook her head. "I forgot to take a pill yesterday, that's all," she said, pulling the package back out of the drawer and holding it up with a sheepish smile.

Daniel stared at her for a moment, stunned. His mind started whirring, trying to process what she'd just told him, but his body completely froze. She couldn't have said what he thought she'd just said. Not in that nonchalant tone. Not with that casual smile on her face. He just couldn't believe it. "That's... that's all?" he repeated once his voice returned to him. "Janet..."

"It's no big deal, Daniel," Janet said quickly. "Honestly. Women miss a pill here and there all the time."

"But you might be pregnant." The words that had been echoing through his mind finally made it out of his mouth, making the possibility seem all the more real and all the more frightening.

Still, Janet's nonchalance didn't fade. "It's highly unlikely..." she said.

"But you _might_ be," Daniel insisted, unable to prevent his anger at her attitude from creeping into his tone.

Janet stared at him in what seemed to be surprise at his reaction. "Yes..." she said carefully. "I might be..."

Daniel felt all colour drain from his face. "Well... can you do something?" he asked anxiously. "The morning-after pill or... something?"

"Daniel, calm down, it's okay..."

"No, it's not okay!" Daniel snapped. "It's only been a few hours, you... you can do something, right?"

Janet sighed and rubbed her forehead with her fingertips. "I'd... I'd rather... rather not do that," she said hesitantly.

"What? Why?"

Janet shook her head and raised her hands in a helpless gesture. Then she looked down at the vanity as she seemed to be trying to come up with something to say.

Not that she needed words. Daniel could tell by the look on her face what she was thinking, though part of him didn't want to believe it. "You want this, don't you?" he asked in almost a whisper. "My God, you _want_ to get pregnant, don't you?"

Janet gave him a pleading look. "Would it really be such a terrible thing?" she asked.

Daniel's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Yes!" he cried. "It would! I have a genetic disease, Janet. _Genetic_, meaning passed on through genes."

"We don't know that you would pass it on, Daniel."

"Well, we sure as hell don't know that I _wouldn't!_"

"Would you please stop yelling at me?" Janet said, her voice finally rising to match his own angry tone. "Think about what you're saying here, Daniel. Laying aside the possible side effects of the so-called "morning-after pill" for me, what if the process has already started? What if there's already a little piece of you and me merging together to make a new life? You told me you were devastated by Sha're's miscarriage, yet just because _our_ child _might_ be born sick, you just want to throw it away like garbage?"

"I don't believe this," Daniel said, throwing his hands in the air and turning to leave the room.

Janet followed him into the bedroom and grasped his arm to make him look at her. "Look, I'm sorry... okay?" she said, her voice lowered but shaking a little with emotion. "I'm very sorry. I just don't want to go using something like that every time I miss a pill, or a condom breaks, or for any number of..."

"I should have had a vasectomy," Daniel muttered, cutting her off mid-sentence.

Janet softened at this and gave his arm a gentle squeeze. "I think we both know why you couldn't," she said.

Daniel knew she meant well, but this mention of his much-hated vulnerability was a kick in the teeth that he didn't need right then. He yanked his arm away from her. "Which is why we agreed that you would take care of it," he said with a pointed glare.

Janet looked like she'd been slapped. "Daniel... I doubt very much that I'm pregnant," she said.

Daniel glared at her for a moment longer, but he figured that saying anything more now would just make matters worse. He turned his back on her and walked out of the bedroom.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Janet stared at Daniel open-mouthed as he walked away from her. It wasn't until she heard him stomp down the stairs that it fully sank in - they'd just had a fight.

She knew it shouldn't take her so much by surprise, but whereas her first marriage had been one fight after another, it had never been that way with Daniel. Sure, they'd only been together for a few months, and he'd been either sick or missing for quite a few of them, but they'd been happy. This must have just been a one-time thing. This wasn't a foretaste of things to come.

Was it?

She sank down onto the bed and shook her head sharply. Daniel was just scared, she reminded herself. That's all it was. People get angry when they're afraid. Once she could make him realize there was nothing to be afraid of, he'd calm down. She knew he would.

_'Unless I really am pregnant.'_

This niggling doubt crept its way into her mind and refused to be pushed to the side. Of course she wasn't pregnant. She'd missed a pill here and there over the years and nothing had ever come of it. During her first marriage, she'd even quit the pill for a few months in the hopes that she'd become pregnant. Nothing. The odds were so remote they might as well have been talking about winning the lottery.

But some part of her knew it was still possible. That annoying little voice kept telling her that Daniel was right - she should do something about it before it was too late. She just couldn't face that. Not if it meant terminating the life of the only baby she may ever have.

This thought made her realize that Daniel had definitely been right about one thing - part of her was hoping she really was pregnant.

She knew this would be her last opportunity - thirty-eight years old, and not getting any younger - and even though the risk of their baby being born ill was a significant one, somehow she was willing to take that chance. She couldn't live with herself if she nipped its life in the bud just because it might have a disease that they knew for a fact was possible to manage, if not cure. Especially not now, when Cassie was about to turn seventeen and was seriously looking into which college she was going to attend next year. She loved being a mother, and while she'd resigned herself to not overtly seeking motherhood out, if a child fell into her lap, could she really turn it away?

Her troubled thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the open door, and she looked up to see Cassie hesitantly poke her head around the doorframe.

"Mom?"

"What is it, sweetheart?" Janet said, trying to sound casual as she stood up and went over to the dresser.

"Is everything okay?" Cassie asked. "I heard you guys fighting."

Janet turned to the girl in dismay. She hadn't even thought about their voices carrying into the next room. From the look of concern on Cassie's face, their argument must have sounded pretty bad. "I'm sorry, Cassie," she said. "It was nothing, really. We didn't mean for you to hear that."

"Is... is Daniel okay?" Cassie asked hesitantly.

Janet smiled and went over to her daughter to lay a soft hand on her shoulder. "He's fine," she assured her. "Couples fight sometimes, that's all. Did... you hear what we were fighting about?"

Cassie shook her head. "I just heard your voices. Daniel sounded pretty freaked out."

Janet sighed, partly with relief and partly from sadness at remembering the look on Daniel's face while they argued. He really had been freaked out. "Well... don't worry about it, okay?" Janet said with forced cheerfulness. "Go and get ready for school. I'll come downstairs in a minute."

"Okay." Cassie kissed her on the cheek and then left the room.

With another sigh, Janet went back to getting ready for work. At best, it would be a week before she knew for certain whether she was pregnant or not, so there was no sense in worrying about it any longer. It wouldn't change anything, and she had more important things to do anyway.

She just hoped Daniel would come to the same conclusion.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"What the hell's wrong with Daniel?"

Carter looked up from whatever test she was running on her new alien gizmo. "Sir?"

"Daniel," Jack repeated. "He's been sulking all day. What's the matter with him?"

Carter shrugged and turned back to her work. "I don't know, Sir," she said. "Maybe he and Janet had a fight or something."

Jack shot her a dubious look and started fiddling with one of the doohickeys on her desk. "Daniel and Fraiser fight? I thought they were the poster couple for 'happily ever after.'"

Carter looked up at him and smiled. "Nobody's perfect, Sir," she said.

Jack cocked an eyebrow and conceded the point. He hadn't really considered that Daniel's attitude might be due to a problem at home. He'd just assumed it was something someone hadn't let him do here on the base. She'd certainly given him something to ponder.

Not that he really wanted to think about Daniel's personal life. He shook himself out of that train of thought and went back to playing with the doohickey. It was quite an interesting doohickey - blinky lights, parts that spun like little windmills, and other cool stuff - so it took him by surprise when someone suddenly came up behind him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Sir," Fraiser said, looking flustered and embarrassed as she hovered in the doorway of the lab. "I didn't realize you were in here."

Jack looked back and forth between her and Carter a few times, not quite understanding why his presence would throw her off guard like that. "I just stopped by to see what Carter was doing," he said. "I was just... leaving."

Fraiser looked suspiciously relieved as he moved towards the door, and stepped aside so he could go past her. "Thank you, Sir."

Jack shot Carter a questioning look over Fraiser's shoulder, but she looked just as puzzled as he was. Still, he knew better than to stick around to find out what was up with her. If she was there for girl talk, he was so outta there.

He'd just entered the elevator and punched the button for Level 27 when it hit him - Daniel was sulking, and Fraiser was acting weird. Yep, they were definitely having a fight.

"Damn," he muttered. As much as he hated heart-to-hearts, Fraiser was talking to Carter right now. It was only fair that Daniel get to talk it over with someone, too. Wasn't it?

He muttered a few more choice swear words under his breath and punched the button for Level 18. May as well be on the safe side, he thought. Worst case scenario, Daniel would either snap at him and tell him to mind his own bee's wax, or unload all kinds of personal information on him that he didn't really need to know. Either way, he could handle it.

Maybe.

The elevator stopped all too soon, and Jack forced his reluctant legs to walk out into the corridor and towards Daniel's office. "Here goes nothing," he thought as he neared the door.

It was already open, so he stepped through the doorway with a light tap on the frame. He could see Daniel right away, sitting at his desk with his head in his hands and assorted books and loose-leaf paper scattered across the desk and all over the floor, but he didn't look up. He didn't even move.

"Daniel?"

That got his attention. Daniel suddenly raised his head and looked over at Jack with a deer-in-the-headlights expression on his face. "Oh... hey, Jack," he said, nervously grabbing at the books on his desk and rearranging them in some kind of chaotic order. "I didn't hear you come in."

"No, I noticed that." Jack eyed the mess on the floor as he cautiously stepped further into the room. "Did this stuff offend you in some way?" he asked, pointing at the wrinkled and trampled papers at Daniel's feet.

Daniel looked down at the floor and cleared his throat. "No, they just fell," he said as he bent to pick them up.

"Are you sure? Looks more like you had some kind of tantrum."

Daniel sighed heavily, lifted two handfuls of paper, and thumped them down on his desk. "Well, I appreciate that observation, Jack, but you're wrong. I'm just fine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do."

Jack narrowed his eyes and studied his friend closely. Daniel never used the "I'm fine" line unless things were far from fine and he was trying to avoid showing someone just how unfine they were. Something was definitely wrong here. Very wrong.

He put his hands in his pockets and just stood there watching as Daniel picked up a pen and pretended to lose himself in his work. He knew it wouldn't be very long before...

"What do you want, Jack?"

Jack feigned being injured by Daniel's blunt question. "Well, that wasn't very polite."

"Neither is staring."

He had a point there. "I just want to know what's bugging you," Jack said.

Daniel gave another aggravated sigh and let his pen fall onto the papers in front of him. "At the moment? You."

"And before I entered the room...?" Jack pressed.

"I've already told you... nothing."

No way he was getting away with it that easily. "Yes, nothing is exactly what you've told me. You've been sulking about something all day, Daniel. Lieutenant Williams said you yelled at her this morning."

"She ran into me in the commissary and spilled hot coffee all over me!"

"That's funny, she said you weren't looking where you were going and ran right into _her_. What the hell is up with you, Daniel?"

"Nothing."

"It sure seems like something, so why don't you..."

"Janet might be pregnant," Daniel snapped. "Okay?"

Jack's mind did an about face at this revelation. His first reaction was a huge, flashing neon sign of "TMI!" but when it finally started to register...

Oh, God.

"Does she know for sure?" he asked after a few awkward moments had passed.

Daniel shook his head and lowered it into his hands. "No," he said. "There's still time for her to do something about it, but she refused. Can you believe that?"

Jack blinked. He figured he knew what Daniel meant by "do something about it," and the only part of it he couldn't believe was that the words had just come from Daniel's mouth. He let out a deep breath as he considered what he should and shouldn't do here. This whole situation was technically none of his business, though he had very stupidly gotten himself involved in it, and from the look on Daniel's face, he knew he had to tread lightly or risk making him fly off the handle completely.

As it was, Daniel had seemed rather edgy since those damn aliens had supposedly "fixed" him, and even though he'd made a lot of progress over the past few weeks, he still got nervous and agitated whenever anyone brought up the subject of his ordeal. Now he was staring in the face of the possibility that he could pass that weird disease on to the next generation. He was well within his rights to freak out about it.

That didn't mean Jack was going to stand back and watch it happen.

"Look, Daniel," he said, grabbing a chair and pulling it closer to Daniel's. He sat down and cleared his throat before he continued. "You've got to put this into perspective, buddy. If your wife's gonna have a baby, she's gonna have a baby."

"She can't, Jack," Daniel said mournfully. "Do you have any idea..."

"Yeah, I do. The baby might get sick. I get that. But you don't know that it will."

Daniel huffed and rolled his eyes away from Jack. "That's what she said," he muttered.

"Yeah, because it's true," Jack said. "And as of this moment, you don't even know if... if she is. So, what's the point in sitting here worrying about it, huh? Not to mention being all mad at your wife. You should see Fraiser, she looks like crap."

He could almost see Daniel's ears perk up at that, though he didn't respond. He just sniffed and took off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

Jack waited a few moments before he tried again. "Look, I know I'm the last person in the world you want to give you advice..."

"Could you please just leave me alone, Jack?"

Jack felt like arguing against this request, but the guy sounded so miserable and desolate that he figured he'd be safest to just do what he asked. After all, Daniel had a lot of things on his mind right now, and he needed a chance to digest it all. So, he only paused for a second or two before he stood up, gave Daniel an encouraging pat to the shoulder, and left the room.

"Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?" he muttered as he walked down the empty corridor. Damn those aliens all to hell for messing with Daniel in the first place.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

"Hey, Mom," Cassie greeted from her spot at the kitchen table as Janet entered the room.

"Hey, sweetheart." Janet absently dumped her purse and keys on the table and dropped a kiss on her daughter's head. "How was school?"

"It was okay," Cassie said, as she did every day. "How was work?"

Janet smiled. "It was okay," she said, mimicking Cassie's voice.

Cassie made a face back at her. "Where's Daniel?"

Janet's face immediately fell. The truth was, she hadn't seen Daniel since they'd left home that morning. He usually left work at the same time as her, but today he hadn't met her outside the infirmary like he always did, not even to tell her that he'd be working late. Knowing it was probably because he was still angry with her, she hadn't dared to seek him out. She'd just left.

And boy, was she feeling guilty for it now.

"He's... still at work," she said, moving over to the sink to get a glass of water. "Are you hungry? I'm thinking of ordering pizza tonight, since I don't feel like cooking."

"Mom?"

Janet turned around in surprise at the concern in her daughter's voice.

"Are you guys okay?" Cassie asked, studying Janet closely as though to see the truth even if she didn't hear it. "I know you said you were, but... Daniel looked pretty pissed when he left."

Janet sighed and looked down at the floor. What was she supposed to tell her sixteen-year-old daughter about all of this? She'd talked the matter over with Sam earlier that day, and because Sam had been able to see the dilemma from both sides, she was able to make Janet think much more clearly about the whole thing. That didn't mean she was ready to discuss it with anyone else, though, and she knew that if she started to explain it to Cassie there would be a thousand questions thrown her way that she just wasn't ready to answer.

Without realizing it, she must have stalled for quite a few seconds, because the next thing she heard was Cassie asking in a shaky voice, "You guys aren't splitting up, are you?"

"No!" Janet said, her eyes widening in horror. She stepped closer to Cassie and touched her face with her fingertips. "No, sweetheart, of course we aren't. What made you say that?"

"Well... it seems to be what happens here on Earth, right?" Cassie said slowly. "You and your first husband got a divorce... Jack and his wife did... most of my friends' parents are divorced... they all say it starts with fighting."

Janet took a deep breath and sat down next to Cassie at the table. "Cassie, Daniel and I are not going to get a divorce," she said softly. "Never. Okay?"

Cassie nodded, though she didn't seem convinced.

"We just... had a disagreement over something. It happens. We're human." She smiled and patted Cassie's leg. "No more worries, okay?"

Cassie sighed and seemed to relax a little. "Okay," she said. "But... what was the disagreement about?"

Janet bit her lip and tried to think fast this time. "It's... something I'd prefer to keep between the two of us," she said. "At least for now. Don't worry, it's nothing major." She forced another smile and then stood up and headed for the phone. "What do you want on this pizza?" she asked, hoping that would be enough to deflect Cassie's attention.

Thankfully, it was. The pizza was ordered and delivered in just a matter of minutes, and the two of them spent a nice, conflict-free evening together. Not another word was said about the rift between Janet and Daniel, but although Janet tried to keep up a casual, cheerful façade, she couldn't stop thinking about him. She wished he would come home, but at the same time she dreaded it. She honestly wasn't sure what worried her more - wondering whether Daniel was alright, or knowing that he could walk through the door at any moment.

Cassie retreated to her room after a while to finish up some homework and go to bed, leaving Janet alone with her worries. She considered calling the SGC to see whether Daniel had been legitimately detained, but she knew she'd feel a fool for checking up on him if he was engrossed in his work or was already on his way home. So, she decided to leave it alone and just wait for him to return.

"A watched pot never boils," she muttered as she glanced at the clock for the hundredth time and saw that it was almost 11pm. She wasn't sure whether to be angry or scared that Daniel hadn't called to say he would be this late. Either way, she had to be up early the next morning, so there was no point in staying up to stew about it.

She could do that just as well in bed.

It took Janet a few minutes to get into bed and turn out the light, yet it was still almost half an hour later that she heard the front door. She glanced at the clock - midnight.

She thumped her pillow in annoyance and turned over to face away from Daniel's side of the bed. She was glad he was alive, but mad as hell that he'd left her to worry like that all night. Hopefully he would just think she was asleep, and she'd have a chance to calm down before she had to talk to him.

A minute later, she heard footsteps on the stairs. Then Daniel tip-toed through the bedroom door and straight to the bathroom.

Janet kept her eyes closed and her breathing even as he passed through the room, and was almost asleep by the time he'd finished in the bathroom and crawled into bed. It felt strange not to roll over and greet him after an entire day apart, but even though her anger started to melt away at the sound of his soft sigh as he settled in for the night, she was much too tired to deal with it just then.

She was just starting to drift off when she felt Daniel's hand on her shoulder. For a second she thought she could just ignore him and fall asleep anyway, but then his light touch turned into a gentle grip.

"Janet? Are you awake?"

She sighed and rolled over onto her back without saying a word.

Daniel was lying on his side facing her, propped up on one elbow, looking at her with an expression that was unreadable to her, either because of the darkness or some emotion he was trying to conceal. "I'm, uh... I'm sorry about... this morning," he said.

Janet gave him a small smile, though she doubted he could actually see it. She brought one hand out from under the covers to brush his arm with the backs of her fingers. "I'm sorry, too."

Daniel nodded and seemed to swallow past a lump in his throat. "How long?" he asked.

Janet blinked in confusion. "How long... what?"

"Until we know for sure."

"Oh," she said, feeling rather stupid for not realizing what he meant in the first place. "A week... at least."

Daniel nodded again and turned over to lie on his back, staring at the ceiling. There was silence for a minute or two, and Janet had just started to think that was all he was going to say when he whispered, "God, I'm so scared, Janet."

Janet's heart ached for him when he took in a deep, ragged breath and seemed to choke on it. She turned to face him and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "We're going to be fine, Daniel," she said. "Let's just... not fight anymore, okay?"

Daniel looked at her for a moment before a smile spread across his face. "I certainly hope we don't," he said.

Janet smiled as he snaked his arm around her and drew her close. She rested her head against his chest and draped her arm across his stomach as they settled into a comfortable position. "You know, Cassie's afraid we're getting a divorce," she said.

She felt Daniel tense up at this statement. "What gave her that idea?"

"She heard us fighting this morning," she said. "And you didn't come home tonight."

Daniel sighed. "Sorry about that," he said. "My mind's been going a million miles an hour today, and I just... didn't realize how late it was."

Janet wasn't sure how true that was, but she didn't question him. Somehow, they'd managed to make up from their first real fight rather easily, and she didn't want to ruin that. She just slipped her hand under Daniel's t-shirt and soaked up the warmth from his chest with her palm. She fully intended to discuss the matter further in the morning, but right then she was just glad he was there. "It's okay," she said. "Get some sleep."

"You, too. Night."

"Goodnight."

In a matter of moments, they were both fast asleep.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Cassie looked at the clock yet again. "Crap," she muttered. "3am? How did that happen?"

She changed position for the umpteenth time, but it didn't make much difference. She just couldn't get comfortable. She'd been lying awake all night, worrying about what was going on with her mom and Daniel.

What if her mom was wrong? What if she and Daniel did get a divorce? She liked having Daniel here. He was like a father to her now. Would she ever even see him again? Dominic hadn't seen his dad since his parents split up four months earlier. He'd just walked out of the house one night and never returned. Never even called or sent a letter or anything. But Daniel wouldn't do that... would he?

She strained her ears to pick up on even the slightest sound in the house. Nothing. She hadn't heard a thing since Daniel had come in around midnight. She was pretty sure he'd gone to bed, but she wasn't sure whether she could really take it as a good sign that she hadn't heard any yelling. Her mom might have been asleep when he'd arrived, and therefore they might still argue when they woke up in the morning.

"God, what am I doing?" she groaned. Why was she so scared about this? Sure, Daniel had seemed kind of grumpy ever since he'd gone back to work, but that was probably just because he was tired and stressed out. And sure, they'd had a fight, but like her mom had said, couples do fight every now and then. It was nothing to lose sleep over.

She knew all this, and yet she was worried sick that she was going to lose Daniel again. That her _mom_ was going to lose Daniel again. Neither of them could handle that. Not after everything they'd already been through. It freaked her out that, here on Earth, death wasn't the only way to lose somebody.

"Chill out, already," she mumbled to herself. "It's not gonna happen. Go to sleep."

Her self-lecture seemed to work, as she did soon fall asleep, but unfortunately, that didn't stop her from worrying about it. She had dream after dream about Daniel dying or leaving for good, and occasionally her mom disappeared, too. It was exhausting.

So exhausting that she slept right through her alarm.

"For crying out loud," she slurred into her pillow when she finally woke up to the steady buzz of her clock radio and saw that she was almost half an hour late. She slammed her palm down on it, luckily hitting the off button in the process. God, she hated mornings.

Somehow she managed to drag herself out of bed and into the bathroom, but decided not to be late for her first class just to have a shower. She washed and dressed as quickly as possible, and jogged down the stairs a few minutes later.

"Mom?" she called when she reached the base of the stairs.

"She already left for work," Daniel's disembodied voice answered from the direction of the kitchen.

Cassie suddenly felt nervous, and hated herself for it. For some reason, when she found herself alone with Daniel, she often thought back to the night that he'd attacked her. She'd known then as well as now that he was just hallucinating, and it usually only took her a second to get over it, but today... the last time she'd seen him, he'd looked pretty pissed. If things hadn't gone well between him and her mom this morning...

She slowly walked towards the kitchen and poked her head around the doorframe. Daniel was sitting at the table eating his breakfast, and stopped mid-bite to stare back at her as she sized him up.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "I've been debating whether or not to wake you for the past few minutes, but I figured you must need the sleep."

Cassie relaxed at the concern that was written all over his face. She smiled sheepishly and joined him at the table. "I'm fine," she said. "Just didn't sleep very well last night."

Daniel nodded, then pushed his plate towards her and raised his eyebrows as though to ask if she wanted a slice of his toast.

Cassie smiled gratefully and took one of the two halves that were left. "Thanks."

"You know... your mom told me last night that you've been... worried about us."

Cassie almost choked on her first mouthful, but managed to swallow it down. "She... she did?"

Daniel gave her a sympathetic smile. "You don't have to, you know," he said. "I... lost my temper yesterday, but we're fine now. No divorce. Okay?"

Cassie felt her face flush under Daniel's gaze. She couldn't believe what an idiot she'd been. "Okay," she said, picking at her toast so as to avoid meeting his eyes. "I know, it was stupid to think that in the first place."

"No, it wasn't stupid. If something's bothering you, we want you to tell us about it. That's why we're here, right?"

Cassie grinned in relief when she looked up and saw the eagerly hopeful look on his face. What the hell had she been worried about? "Thanks, Daniel."

"So," he said as he stood up and stretched. "Need a ride to school?"

"Yeah, if you've got time."

"Plenty of time. Eat."

Cassie laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, _Dad_," she teased, but stopped in embarrassment when she realized what she'd said.

Daniel froze halfway to the sink and stared at her in surprise for a second before a smile started to spread across his face.

Cassie ducked her head and stuffed the rest of the toast in her mouth to keep herself from saying anything more. But the funny thing was... she'd rather liked the sound of it.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Janet stared down at the test results in disbelief. She'd been so sure...

"So," Daniel said, standing stiff and solemn on the opposite side of her desk with his arms folded tightly across his chest. "What do we do now?"

"I... guess we have a baby." Janet sank down into her chair as she spoke, suddenly feeling a little faint.

Daniel didn't make a sound in response, so after a few seconds Janet looked up to find him staring down at her with a rather cold look on his face.

"I'm not getting rid of it," she said.

"I didn't ask you to."

"And don't you dare blame me for this."

"I wasn't."

Janet narrowed her eyes at him, her irritation growing with every second he stared at her like that. "Then what?" she asked. "You look angry about something, so... why don't you just let it out?"

Daniel didn't move or answer at first, but finally he sighed and looked down at the desk. "I'm angry... that we're bringing a child into this world just to watch it die."

His blunt words hit home for Janet, but she wasn't willing to admit that to him. "We've been over this a hundred times," she said wearily, leaning forward to cover her face with her hands. "We don't know that the baby will have the disease."

There was complete silence for a few moments, until Janet heard a soft rustling sound as Daniel started to move. At first she dared to hope that he was coming to her, but she quickly looked up when she heard his footsteps moving away. She was just in time to see him open the door and leave her office, pulling the door shut behind him.

With a soft groan, she slumped over her desk and buried her face in her arms. She wasn't sure whether the butterflies in her stomach were the start of morning sickness or whether she was just scared as hell about what was in store. Probably a little bit of both, she reasoned. And Daniel's attitude certainly wasn't helping.

He'd been rather subdued but still supportive all week, but she could tell by the way he tossed and turned every night that he wasn't getting any sleep. That in itself would be enough to make him grumpy, and now this? She'd been so sure that she wasn't pregnant. So damn sure...

"Dr. Fraiser?"

Janet looked up at the sound of Lieutenant Young's voice. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"Are you alright, Ma'am?" the nurse asked, her head and shoulders all Janet could see peeking around the doorframe.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said, forcing a smile and rising to her feet. "What do you need?"

She was never sure how she made it through the rest of that day. By the time she got home, she didn't remember a thing about what had happened, other than her conversation with Daniel. She hadn't even bothered to wait for him to meet her before going home. She knew instinctively that he wouldn't show.

Thankfully, Cassie had left a note saying she'd be spending the evening with friends, so no cooking had to be done. That was a lifesaver for Janet - whether it was from the baby or not, her stomach had been unsettled all day, and eating was the last thing she wanted to do.

Not that sitting in the silent living room alone was top of her list, either. All she wanted was for Daniel to come home and hold her while she cried out all of her guilt, fear, and frustration over the whole damn thing, but judging from the last time he'd walked away from her in anger, he wouldn't be home for a long time yet. That thought made her want to scream.

Somehow she managed to pull herself together enough to do some housework, which actually served to take her mind off things for a little while. By the time it reached 8pm, however, she was exhausted. She collapsed into bed right away, without even caring about how early it was.

Funny how she was so tired and yet couldn't sleep, she mused as she lay staring at the ceiling. She'd glanced impatiently at the clock at least a dozen times by 9, and by 9:30 she was starting to go insane. She heard Cassie come in just before 10 and head quietly for bed. Other than that, the house remained completely silent.

She was about to get up in defeat a few minutes later, but just then she heard the front door. Daniel was home.

Not wanting to make the same mistake that she'd made last time, she sat up a little in bed and waited for him to come in. No faking sleep this time. She wanted him to know she was available to talk if he needed to.

He entered the room a minute later, looking worn out and defeated. She could only imagine what thoughts had been going through his mind all day to make him look that bad. He headed straight for the bathroom without even looking at her, and she decided it would be best to let him.

When he came back into the bedroom and started getting undressed, though, she made a point of rustling the bedding so he would know she was awake. "Daniel?"

He looked over at her in surprise. "Thought you were asleep," he said.

Janet shrugged. "I was trying," she said. "Wasn't really working."

Daniel gave an awkward nod and went back to undressing. He swayed a little as he pulled off his jeans, and had to sit down on the bed as he put his sweatpants on. His movements were anything but coordinated.

Janet sat up even more to get a better look at him. "Daniel... are you drunk?" she asked in disbelief.

"Of course not," Daniel said, even as he stood up and climbed rather clumsily into the bed.

Janet leaned towards him and sniffed as he lay down. "You are, aren't you? What..."

"I went to Jack's," Daniel said, his words definitely starting to slur together as he got comfortable against his pillow. "I had one beer. Thought it would help me sleep."

"One beer?" Janet repeated, only just resisting the urge to slap him. "One beer gets you drunk, Daniel. My God, you didn't drive home, did you?"

"No," Daniel said as his eyes closed. "Jack dropped me... off..."

"Looks like it worked," Janet muttered. He was out like a light.

The tears finally started filling her eyes as she lay back down. It was all just so unfair. No matter how hard he tried to deny it, it seemed like Daniel blamed her for getting pregnant and was now keeping her at arm's length because of it. They hadn't made love at all in the past week. He'd barely even kissed her. Now he was coming home drunk? It was just like her first marriage all over again.

She remembered what they'd told Cassie - that nothing was going to come between them and split them up. She knew that was true, but part of her was just afraid they would never be the same again. What if Daniel never fully forgave her? What if their baby was born sick after all, and they had to stand back and watch him or her die? Would they ever even be able to look at each other again?

Her turbulent thoughts soon dictated that she get up and move around, so she climbed out of bed, put on her robe, and tiptoed downstairs. Once she was there, though, she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. She didn't feel like watching TV, she was much too restless to read, and the thought of food still made her want to throw up. The only thing she could do was exactly what she did - sink down onto the couch, put her face in her hands, and cry.

She lost all track of time as she sat there. So many thoughts raged through her mind, both good and bad, that she felt as though her head was spinning. It seemed to hit her all at once that she was _actually going to have a baby_. It was the most overwhelming thing she had ever experienced. It just made her cry all the more that it wasn't something she was allowed to be happy about.

Her tears were just starting to run dry when she suddenly felt another presence in the room. She just about jumped out of her skin when she looked up and saw a shadowed figure standing over her.

When that shadowed figure sat down beside her and laid his hand on her back, however, the relief was enough to start a fresh flood of tears. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder as he stroked her back and massaged the nape of her neck with his gentle hands.

"I'm sorry," she said between sobs.

"It's okay," Daniel whispered into her hair.

"You walked away from me!"

"I know. I'm sorry."

Janet sniffed and lowered her arms as she backed away enough to look at him. Daniel cupped her face in his hands and wiped her cheeks with his thumbs as they gazed at each other. Even in the darkness, she could see that his eyes were red and puffy, and probably not just because of the alcohol.

"Daniel..." Her voice choked on that one word, but from the understanding look in his eyes, she could tell he knew what she wanted to say. This was the most wonderful and terrifying thing that had happened to either one of them, and they needed to stick together if they were going to survive it.

"I know," Daniel said. He kissed her forehead and let it linger for a few moments. "I wasn't angry with you, sweetheart."

Janet sighed and closed her eyes as he guided her head to his chest and rocked them both gently from side to side. She encircled his waist with her arms and clung to him for dear life. "We can make it through this, can't we?" she asked, her words muffled into his chest.

Daniel didn't answer at first, and she was about to ask again when he finally spoke. "We've already been to hell and back once. If we survived that... we can pretty much make it through anything."

She hoped to God he was right.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_Clammy hands... distorted faces... unearthly moans... sudden, sharp pain... his own terrified screams..._

Daniel was shaking and covered in sweat when he finally woke up. By the time his sense of reality fully returned to him, he was ready to smash something in his frustration. Why was he destined to never leave that place behind?

He looked over at Janet as he took some deep breaths and tried to calm down. She was fast asleep. He was glad of that. He'd already woken her up twice in the past three hours with his damn nightmares. She needed as much rest as possible.

Once the adrenaline rush had dissipated, Daniel turned over onto his side facing his wife and lay there watching her sleep. She was lying on her back with one arm draped across her pillow and her face turned towards him, almost as though she'd posed that way for a portrait. He smiled at the thought of taking this moment and framing it on the wall. What he wouldn't give to stop the world and stay here forever.

Or at least for the next nine months or so.

He felt sick to his stomach at the thought of what the coming year was going to hold for them. It was undoubtedly going to be the longest year of his life - especially the next few weeks. At least in his nightmares things like this happened suddenly and then were gone. In reality, he'd have to live with his fear day and night until they knew for certain one way or another whether their baby was going to live.

Their baby... God, he couldn't believe it was actually happening. He felt tears sting his eyes at the thought, and he wasn't sure whether they were tears of joy or sorrow. He figured that was a feeling he'd be having quite frequently from now on. He just wished that for one moment he could be as happy about this as he would have been before their lives had been turned upside down.

Daniel reached out and gently tucked a wisp of Janet's hair behind her ear so he could have an unobstructed view of her face. She breathed in deeply and tensed a little before releasing her breath and relaxing again. That one little movement seemed to comfort him somehow. She was there - his Janet, always so vibrant and alive - and they would make it through this. They had to. He'd promised her they would.

He remembered what Jack had said to him earlier that night - _"Stop acting like this is just your problem, Daniel. In case you hadn't noticed, your wife is the one who's going to spend the next few months carrying a baby that might not even live. Give her a break, huh?"_

Daniel had thought about this comment for the next few minutes, but by the time he'd arrived home, the beer had made him so drowsy that he just didn't care. He regretted that he hadn't acknowledged her properly before falling asleep, but was glad he'd woken up when he did. To think that if he hadn't, Janet would have spent the night crying all on her own. He couldn't have lived with himself then.

When five minutes had passed without so much as a movement from Janet, Daniel slowly pulled back the covers from her upper body. As soon as he laid his hand on her belly, that feeling of joy he'd been longing for finally washed over him.

_He was going to be a father._

When Cassie had jokingly called him "Dad" the other day, it had made him realize how much he'd always wanted to hear it. Now he really was going to be "Dad" to someone.

But someone who probably wouldn't live to be old enough to say it.

That thought acted towards his joy like a pin to a balloon. He sighed and lay back down, wrapping his arm around Janet and resting his head on her shoulder. His heart was literally aching, the weight of his fear quickly dragging him down into despair.

Janet shifted in her sleep and laid her cheek against his forehead, almost as though she were trying to comfort him. Whether that was her true intention or not, it certainly worked. Her peacefulness was contagious, and while his worries didn't disappear completely, he was at least able to relax against her.

It had just occurred to him that he was holding his entire world in his arms when he fell asleep.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

"Cassie, honey? I need to talk to you a minute."

"Wow, that didn't sound good," Cassie said as she entered the living room and sat down.

Janet gave her a small smile. "Sorry, sweetie," she said. "That's just because I'm not overly sure how you're going to take what I'm about to tell you."

Cassie's face drained of colour. "You guys _are_ splitting up, aren't you?"

"No! No, we're not," Janet quickly assured her, mentally kicking herself for giving her that impression. "Nothing like that."

Cassie narrowed her eyes. "Then... what?"

Janet took a deep breath and clenched her fists. Here goes nothing... "I'm pregnant."

There was silence for a long moment as Cassie stared at her, stunned. Just as it was about to drive her crazy, Cassie said in a low voice, "By Daniel?"

Janet couldn't hold back a surprised laugh at that. "Of course by Daniel!" she said. "Who did you think?"

"But... I thought... I thought you and Daniel couldn't have kids," Cassie said, her face the picture of shock and confusion.

"Well, it's not so much that we couldn't have kids," Janet said. "It's more that we felt we shouldn't."

"Because they'd get that... funky alien disease thing," Cassie said.

Janet nodded slowly. "They might."

"So... why are you having one?"

Janet shrugged. "Sometimes these things just happen. 'Happy accidents,' my mother used to say..."

"That's what you guys have been fighting about, isn't it?" Cassie said, folding her arms across her chest and leveling a glare at her mother. "You've known all this time and didn't tell me."

"We didn't know for sure until yesterday," Janet said. "We told you as soon as..."

"As soon as you decided you're gonna keep it," Cassie finished for her in an angry tone. "How can you possibly call this a _happy_ accident, Mom? The kid's just gonna die!"

Janet felt as though she'd been slapped in the face by this remark. She couldn't believe those words had just come out of her daughter's mouth. "Don't you dare talk to me like that," she said hoarsely.

It was all she could say past the lump growing in her throat and the tears filling her eyes. She felt as though if she looked at that defiant face any longer she'd be tempted to hit it, so she turned around to face the wall. She stood there until she heard Cassie storm out of the room and up the stairs.

Janet sank down on the couch as soon as the girl was gone, and buried her face in her hands. Moments later, she heard someone enter the room, and looked up to see Daniel standing over her looking concerned.

"It didn't sound like it went well," he said as he knelt down in front of her.

Janet shook her head and gulped down a sob. "No, it didn't," she said.

"Hey." Daniel put his arms around her and guided her head to his shoulder. Once her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck, he started slowly stroking her back. "She's just as scared as we are," he said.

"I know," Janet said. "But it was what she said..."

"I'm sure she didn't mean it. She's a teenager... teenagers say things they don't mean all the time."

Janet laughed and released her hold on his neck. "I guess you're right."

Daniel gave her an encouraging smile. "I'll talk to her later, okay?"

Janet nodded and forced a small smile in return. "Thanks, Daniel."

Daniel moved his hands to cup her face, and then gently drew it closer to his. Janet closed her eyes as he kissed her - the first truly loving, passionate kiss they'd shared since this whole mess began.

Pretty soon her fingers were entangled in his hair, and her worries had temporarily been forgotten.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Cassie threw herself on her bed as soon as she entered her room, kicking the door shut as she did so. She was so mad she could punch a hole in the wall. Janet was pregnant? What kind of bull was that!

She couldn't believe she'd completely missed the signs. All the fights, all the worried looks at each other across the dinner table, all the secrecy... why the hell hadn't they told her, anyway? What, did they think she couldn't take it? Why was everyone always treating her like a little kid?

Little kid... they were actually going to have a baby in the house in a few months. That is, if it even lived that long. But what if it did? What if they brought it home, and started coochie-cooing with it all over the place? It'd cry all through the night, puke all the time, have smelly diapers... oh God, what if they asked her to babysit it? What if they made _her_ change its stinky diapers? There was no way in hell.

But most unnerving of all... what if when she went off to college, everybody completely forgot about her? They'd have this new baby demanding all their attention, after all, and not only was it going to be little and cute, but it was also _theirs_. Not just some orphaned kid from another planet... their very own baby. How could she possibly compete with that?

She lay there mulling this over for a while, until she heard a soft knock at her door. "What?" she called, sitting up against the headboard and grabbing one of the stuffed animals from the shelf beside the bed.

"It's Daniel. Can I come in?"

Cassie sighed. "Okay," she said, clutching the toy close to her stomach.

Daniel opened the door and poked his head inside. "Can we talk?"

She shrugged and looked down.

Daniel took that as his invitation and stepped further into the room, closing the door behind him. "Mind if I join you?" he asked, gesturing to the bed.

Cassie shrugged again. "Whatever."

He cleared his throat and sat down at the foot of the bed. "You know, you upset your mom pretty bad down there," he said quietly.

Cassie winced. Why was he being so nice? She was trying to be angry here.

"Anything you want to talk about?" Daniel asked once he realized he wasn't going to get a response.

"Not really," Cassie replied.

"Okay," Daniel said with a nod. "Fair enough. But... you know that being angry and giving us the silent treatment isn't going to change anything, right?"

Cassie looked up at him through her lashes. "You were angry."

Some kind of pain flashed across Daniel's face for a second before he looked down at his hands. "Yeah, I was," he said. "I guess I still am a little angry. But with the situation, not with your mom."

He looked at her again, and the earnestness in his eyes made Cassie feel a stab of guilt. She had to look away again before she started to cry.

"We have to stick together, Cass," Daniel said. "If this baby is born sick... well, we have to prepare ourselves for that. And if it isn't... I guess we have to prepare ourselves for that, too. But either way, this baby is coming. Believe me, I'd give anything to go back and change that... but what's done is done."

Cassie nodded, but didn't look up. She could see it all in her mind already - all the grief and anger if the baby died, and all the joy and laughter if the baby lived. Either way, they would never be the same again.

"By the way, I heard what you said about us not telling you right away," Daniel said a few moments later. "For the record... I didn't want to tell you for another two or three months."

Cassie looked up at him in surprise, ready to snap at him in annoyance, but then she saw the look on his face. It was soft... loving, with a bit of good humour added in.

"It was your mom's idea to tell you now," he said. "She wanted us to be a unit in this... to support each other. So cut her some slack, okay?"

Cassie wasn't sure how to respond to this. A unit? Support each other? He made it sound like a military team. "Okay," she said tentatively. "As long as I don't have to change any diapers."

Daniel smiled and gave a short laugh. "Well, you don't have to worry about that just yet anyway," he said as he rose to his feet. He stepped closer to her and bent down to kiss her forehead. He turned to leave the room then, but stopped at the door to look back at her. "We're gonna be okay," he said. He gave her another small smile, and then left.

She hugged the stuffed toy even harder once Daniel was gone, and buried her face in its soft fur. This was going to be a long wait.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Daniel felt like throwing the alarm clock through the window when it jerked him out of his light doze. He'd only just fallen asleep a few minutes earlier. As if he hadn't lost enough sleep already over the past month.

Janet stirred beside him as he hit the clock to turn it off. "Morning already?" she slurred.

"Yeah." Daniel threw off his covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed as he sat up. "Another damn day."

"Don't be like that," Janet said, rolling over to his side of the bed and running her hand up and down his back. "We're getting there."

Daniel sighed and slumped forward to put his face in his hands. "Not fast enough," he muttered.

Janet sat up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her cheek on his back. "You'll be there today, won't you?"

He lowered his hands to stroke her arms. "Of course I will," he said. "Eleven o'clock, right?"

"Mm hmm. Second floor of the academy hospital."

Daniel sighed and gave her arms a gentle squeeze. "So... what's happening now?"

Janet moved away from him and pulled him back down beside her by his shoulder. When they were lying side by side again, he wrapped his arm around her waist and she laid her head on his chest. "Well," she said, "its little face and fingers and toes will be forming by now."

Daniel smiled. "I hope it has your eyes," he said.

"I hope it has yours."

Daniel swallowed hard as this thought set in. "If it does, I hope that's the only thing it inherited from me."

Janet didn't answer, but from the way she patted his chest and sighed, he could tell she was thinking the same thing.

They lay there for a few minutes in silence until Janet groaned and started to sit up. "Ah, the joys of morning sickness," she said, holding one hand to her stomach as she got out of bed.

Daniel lay there watching her as she plodded into the bathroom and shut the door. This had become their morning routine over the past few days. Daniel knew pregnant women often experienced morning sickness, but Janet's seemed to last all day, and it had started so early in the pregnancy. He knew it was probably intensified by her nerves, but it was starting to worry him.

He sighed and dragged himself out of bed when he heard the toilet flush. He wished he could just bury himself under the covers and stay in bed all day, but he knew he had a duty to Janet. It just didn't make any sense to have this ultrasound. They wouldn't be able to see anything useful yet, and there was no way an ultrasound at any point in the pregnancy would be able to tell them whether the baby had the disease or not anyway. It was pointless.

Still, Janet seemed to feel the need to do something, so ultrasounding they must go. He just hoped it wouldn't take very long.

"You okay in there?" he called through the bathroom door.

"Just peachy," Janet replied. "Listen, could you go make sure Cassie's up? She has to be at school early this morning."

"Okay."

Daniel cringed as he left the bedroom and tiptoed down the hall. He loved her dearly, but Cassie really had been a pain in the ass since they'd told her about the pregnancy, and the majority of her anger seemed to be centered at him.

_'Understandable,'_ he thought. _'Technically, I'm the one who got her mother in this situation in the first place.'_

Part of him rebelled at that thought, however. No, it had been Janet's responsibility. Why was he being blamed for this? He'd had no control over what those aliens did to him, and he'd had no control over Janet going through with this pregnancy. It wasn't fair to take it all out on him.

He quickly quashed that thought as he reached Cassie's door. There was no sense in him being as crabby with her as she was with him. That would be juvenile. He took a deep breath and knocked on her door.

No answer.

"Cassie? Are you awake?"

He waited a few seconds, but when he got no reply he knocked louder. "Cassie?"

Still no answer.

Daniel gritted his teeth for whatever insults were about to be thrown his way, and opened the door. Then opened it wider.

No Cassie.

He quickly closed it again and started down the stairs. Cassie had never been known for being a morning person, but if she'd had as much trouble sleeping as he had, maybe she'd gone downstairs to watch TV and fallen asleep on the couch.

Before he'd even reached the foot of the stairs, his theory had been proven wrong. The front door opened, and in walked a tired, disheveled Cassie. It only took Daniel a second to realize she was still wearing the same clothes she'd worn the day before.

His mind started whirring, trying to fit the pieces of this puzzle together - she'd come home last night and gone to bed, but... obviously she hadn't stayed there.

"Where the hell have you been?"

The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. The half-guilty, half-defiant look on Cassie's face just made him even angrier.

"I was just... out," she said.

Daniel laughed in disbelief. "Just out? Until six thirty in the morning?"

"Relax, Daniel, I wasn't out partying or anything. I just fell asleep at Dominic's."

Daniel's mind went completely blank for a second, and then fired up again in overdrive. "You fell asleep at... well, that makes everything fine, doesn't it? Why the hell didn't you tell us you were going to Dominic's?"

"Because it was kind of a last minute decision, okay?"

"A last minute decision you couldn't have informed me and your mother about?"

"Frankly, yes!"

Daniel paused for a second to try to calm himself before speaking again. "Cassie... you're sixteen. I know you like Dominic, but spending the night with him..."

"Oh for crying out loud, Daniel, nothing happened, okay? And even if it did, at least _we_ know how to practice safe sex."

Daniel gaped as Cassie brushed past him and stomped up the stairs. It wasn't until Cassie's door slammed that he came back to his senses. God, what had just happened here?

"Hey, what's going on out there?" Janet called from their bedroom door.

Daniel sighed. He could tell already that this was going to be a very bad day.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Janet looked down at the ultrasound photo for the millionth time. To anyone else it would just look like a tiny blob inside a larger smudge, but to her it meant so much more. They may not have been able to see anything of their baby but the fetal pole, but they'd seen its heartbeat. That was all she needed.

She glanced at the clock when she heard the front door. Barely four o'clock... it must be Cassie.

"Cassie?" she called.

There was silence for a few seconds, but soon Cassie slowly poked her head around the living room doorframe. "Am I gonna get a lecture now?" she asked in a resigned tone.

Janet blinked at her in confusion. "Lecture? Why would you need a lecture?"

Cassie stared at her for a moment as though she didn't quite understand what she was saying. "Did... Daniel talk to you earlier?" she asked.

Suspicion was starting to set in. "Talk to me about what?" Janet asked.

"Nothing," Cassie said, shaking her head sharply. "Just... Daniel was lecturing me earlier about... staying up too late. What do you want?"

Janet studied her daughter closely as she spoke, and could tell she wasn't telling the truth. She made a mental note to discuss the matter with Daniel when he got home from work. "I, uh... I just wanted to tell you that I had my first ultrasound today," she said. "We saw the baby's heartbeat. Everything seems to be going okay."

Cassie nodded and raised her eyebrows. "Great," she said. Then she spun on her heel and headed for the stairs.

"Hey... Cassie?" Janet called, rising from the couch to pursue her.

Cassie stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "Yeah?"

"Is that all you can say? Just... great?"

Cassie looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm... happy for you?" she said.

Janet sighed and raised a hand to her forehead. She was feeling much too tired and nauseous to continue this conversation. "Okay," she said.

Her daughter looked relieved, and jogged up the stairs before Janet could say anything more.

That was the last Janet saw of Cassie until dinnertime. Daniel arrived just as she was putting it on the table, so she didn't have the opportunity to talk to him beforehand. She could see by the way he and Cassie barely even looked at each other over the table that something more than just their usual verbal battle had occurred that morning, as Daniel had claimed. It was also obviously weighing on both of their consciences, as they ate just as little as she did.

God, what was happening to her family?

Cassie disappeared as soon as she was finished eating, so Janet seized the opportunity to raise the issue. "So, what happened between you and Cassie this morning?" she asked as she and Daniel started clearing the table.

Daniel did a double take that Janet caught from the corner of her eye. "I told you," he said. "We just... got into it again. Nothing major."

"Then why did Cassie think I was going to lecture her when she got home?"

Daniel did his best fish imitation as he struggled for an answer. "I... don't know. Did she say?"

Janet smiled at his innocent act. "She said you lectured her for staying up late," she said. "Was she watching TV or something?"

"Yeah, she was just going to bed when I came downstairs," he said, looking somewhat nervous.

Janet narrowed her eyes at him. "I guess I shouldn't ask _what_ she was watching in the wee hours of the morning," she said significantly.

From Daniel's shifty eyes and slight flush, she figured that's what the big mystery was all about. She sighed. She supposed she'd better get used to this, considering Cassie was turning seventeen in a couple of weeks. They were just lucky it wasn't anything worse.

Daniel had translation work to finish once they'd loaded the dishwasher, so as usual, Janet spent her evening alone. She almost resented the fact that Daniel's workload was increasing lately, but then she remembered how anxious they'd been for him to get back to normal. She just missed the days when they'd spent as much time as possible with each other.

Then again, maybe his work had nothing to do with it.

Janet banished that thought as soon as it entered her mind. She didn't even want to go there. They were doing fine now. They hadn't had a fight in weeks. Daniel had been nothing but kind and considerate towards her. His days of avoiding her were over.

She just wished they could go back to how close they'd been before.

It was fairly early in the evening when Daniel emerged from his office and told her he was going to bed, so Janet didn't join him right away. To her surprise and relief, he was fast asleep when she entered the bedroom. That was a very good thing, considering how little sleep he'd been getting over the past few weeks.

She tried not to make a sound as she got ready for bed, and she soon slipped in beside him and turned off her lamp. She couldn't believe how exhausted she was, when she hadn't even gone to work that day. She dreaded the way she'd feel by the time her third trimester rolled around.

It didn't take her long to drift off to sleep, but all the while part of her mind was telling her that something didn't feel right. Her body was just so desperate for rest that she couldn't pinpoint what it was. She'd reach a point where she didn't care, and she would start to give in to unconsciousness, but then her body would jerk awake only to go through the whole thing again.

Something was definitely not right... something was, in fact, very wrong.

Janet's eyes flew open and her heart started racing as soon as it came to her what it was. Oh no... oh God, please no...

She sat up in the bed and rubbed at her eyes, hoping she would wake up fully and find that she had been imagining it.

No luck. It was real.

Daniel was wheezing.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

To be continued...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"What the hell is happening to me?"

"I don't know, Daniel. I'm sorry, I just don't know."

Jack entered the infirmary to the sound of frightened voices, and stopped when he saw the faces attached to them. Daniel was seated on the edge of an infirmary bed, with Fraiser and Dr. Warner hovering around him looking worried.

"What's up, Docs?" Jack asked as they turned to look at him.

Daniel ducked his head to look at his hands while Fraiser and Warner glanced at each other and then back at Jack. "Daniel was wheezing in his sleep tonight," Fraiser finally answered in a small voice.

Jack stepped closer to Daniel and studied his face when he looked up at him.

"What?" Daniel asked after a few seconds.

"You look okay to me. Maybe it was just an asthma attack."

"I don't have asthma, Jack."

"Stress, then."

Daniel sighed and shook his head. "I knew it was too good to be true."

"We don't know that you're having a relapse," Fraiser said, laying a hand on his knee.

"Yeah. We don't know anything," Daniel said. "Somehow that doesn't make me feel any better."

"Your preliminary tests all came back negative for the disease, Daniel," Warner said. "I'll keep running more tests if you like, but quite frankly, I'm willing to put this down to a nightmare, or as Colonel O'Neill said, stress."

"So... what? I'm just supposed to pretend this didn't happen? How can I possibly do that? I have a baby on the way, for God's sake. If I still have this disease..."

"Wait, I might have an explanation."

All eyes in the room turned to Carter, who had just walked into the infirmary with Teal'c in tow.

"Let's hear it," Daniel said with a resigned sigh.

"I've been thinking about this for the last hour, and Teal'c just reminded me of something. Remember when you first came back, while the first device in your brain was still active?"

Daniel winced. "It's a little fuzzy, but... yes."

"Remember how you said it felt like your brain was in a fog most of the time, but that every now and then it would lift?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, from the few studies we were able to conduct on the device currently in your brain, we came to the conclusion that it works on some kind of cycle. Up until now, we assumed it was always active, just working at varying degrees of intensity, but... what if it actually stops for a minute or two?"

Jack blinked and looked over at Daniel to see if he'd understood a word Carter had just said.

"So, you're saying that... there are times when the device isn't doing what it needs to do to protect me from this disease?" Daniel said slowly.

"More or less, yes."

Daniel laughed and rubbed his forehead nervously. "Great. So, basically you're saying I still have the disease, this device is just masking its effects."

Carter looked from one person to the next and then down at her intertwined hands. "Basically."

Daniel mumbled something Jack couldn't quite catch, swung his legs up on the bed, and lay back with his fists over his eyes. Everyone else just looked down at the floor.

"Wait a minute," Jack said, not willing to resign himself to the thought just yet. "If that's true, then doesn't that mean it's been doing that all along? Why has it taken this long for the wheezing thing to come back?"

"Maybe it can only hold the disease at bay for so long," Daniel said miserably.

"Syun said he fixed you," Fraiser said. "Maybe he didn't know."

Jack rolled his eyes. "And maybe Zombie Boy lied to save his own ass," he said. He'd known all along that damn alien couldn't be trusted.

"Perhaps Daniel Jackson's immune system has been otherwise compromised," Teal'c said.

Jack did a double take at the sound of his voice. He'd almost forgotten Teal'c was in the room.

Warner and Fraiser both nodded. "That seems much more likely," Fraiser said. "You haven't been getting much sleep lately, Daniel."

"So, what... if I get overtired I'll get sick again?" Daniel said. "Great, I'll sleep so much better knowing that."

"It was probably just a temporary thing," Warner assured him. "As soon as the device kicked in again, everything went back to normal. Like I said, your tests were clean."

"Look, sweetheart, why don't we just get you home so you can rest?" Fraiser said, stroking Daniel's arm soothingly as she spoke.

"Don't you remember what happened the last time you took me home before finding out for sure whether I was okay?" Daniel snapped.

Fraiser jerked her hand away from him and pressed it to her stomach in a gesture Jack knew all too well. Sara had done that every time something had upset her throughout her pregnancy, almost like she were subconsciously trying to protect the baby. This conversation was obviously bothering her more than she was letting on.

He decided it was time he intervened.

"Why don't you just knock him out for a few hours?" he suggested casually. "That way he'd get the sleep he needs, and you'd be able to keep an eye on what happens to him."

An expression of terror flashed across Daniel's face for a second before it turned into indignation. "No!" he said as he sat up. "I don't need to be knocked out, thank you very much."

Jack inwardly smirked. He knew how much Daniel hated the feeling of being sedated these days, and this was exactly the reaction he'd hoped to get from him. "Okay... how about Fraiser and I take you home, then? I can stand guard over you while you sleep, if it'll make you feel better."

Daniel sighed in defeat. "Fine," he said. "Take me home. Just don't blame me if I go nuts again."

Jack stepped towards him as Daniel hopped down from the bed. "Don't worry," he said, giving Daniel a slap on the shoulder. "We're used to it."

He smiled in response to Daniel's glare. He bought Carter's theory about the device in Daniel's head, so he wasn't really worried. Daniel was going to be fine.

The hardest task before them right now was convincing Daniel of that.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Daniel lay silent and still, staring up at the ceiling. It was almost noon, and he still hadn't fallen asleep. He would have given up hope of it ever happening and gone downstairs if he hadn't known Jack would be down there waiting for him. It was bad enough that somebody kept coming in to check on him every few minutes. He just wanted to be left alone.

Janet... Cassie... Jack... Sam... Teal'c... they were all he had in the world, but right now he didn't feel he deserved any one of them. He'd been the one to bring sorrow on everyone around him. He was so close to wishing he'd never even been born.

He rolled over onto his side facing away from the door when he heard someone quietly enter the room. He knew who it was from the sound of the footsteps approaching the bed. Why couldn't they all just leave him alone?

"Daniel?" Janet said, sitting down on the bed and resting her hand on his back. "Can you please talk to me?"

"I have nothing to say." That was an understatement.

He felt her lay down behind him and press her body against his back. Then she tucked her arm under his and kissed his neck. "I know you're scared, Daniel," she said. "I am, too. But I honestly don't think..."

"It doesn't matter," Daniel interrupted her. He'd heard the words she'd been about to say so many times over the past few hours, and he was sick of them. Okay, so nobody else thought he was relapsing. He didn't give a damn about what they thought.

He didn't give a damn about whether he was relapsing or not, either. All he knew was that he'd been trying to pretend for so long that there was nothing wrong with him, and it just wasn't worth it. What had it gotten him? A baby that was more than likely going to die, and a teenaged daughter who hated his guts. Janet would doubtless come to hate him, too, once the baby died. Couldn't they see that?

"What matters to me right now is that you seem to be shutting yourself off from me again," Janet said. "Please don't do that, sweetheart. I need you right now."

Daniel let out a deep breath that almost turned into a sob as tears filled his eyes. "I can't," he said sorrowfully. "Don't you get it? There's nothing we can do. Not for me, not for the baby..."

"Stop it," Janet snapped, sitting up and slapping his side angrily. "What the hell is happening to you, Daniel? Since when do you just stop fighting like this? Since when do you completely lose hope and abandon the people you love? You promised me we were going to get through this together, and now... now you're telling me I'm in it alone?"

Daniel rolled over onto his back to look up at her. "Of course not," he said.

"Then what? Do you actually think I'm going to sit here and watch you wallow in self pity for the next eight months?"

"No!"

Janet stopped herself from saying whatever she was going to say, and rubbed her face with her hand. "I just... I don't know what to do here, Daniel," she said with a sigh. "I feel like this is all some horrible nightmare I can't wake up from, and that I'm in it completely alone."

Her words made Daniel's heart break. She was right - in wanting to be left alone, he was leaving her alone, too. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her even more pain than he already had. He took a moment to scrounge up whatever scrap of strength and courage he had left, and then reached out for her. "You're not alone," he said as he pulled her back down beside him.

Janet nestled against his chest and gripped his shirt in her fists like she was afraid he'd disappear if she let go.

He had no intention of disappearing on her again, though. He resolved then and there to stand beside her no matter what - even if he felt like throwing himself off a steep cliff, he had to stay strong for her. And he had to be there for Cassie, too. Whatever she was going through right now, he had to make sure she was safe. No one else was going to take care of them. Just him. He couldn't abandon them now.

But he knew the day would soon come when they could no longer stand to look at him.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

To be continued...


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Cassie made sure her eyes weren't noticeably puffy before she made her way down the stairs. She'd cried herself to sleep many times through this long, boring summer, but this time had been worse than ever. Her boyfriend, her lifeline, had come back from his summer vacation to tell her he didn't want to go out with her anymore.

Scumbag.

She kept telling herself she should be angry rather than miserable, but it was no use. She needed him, she realized as she fingered the necklace he'd given her for her seventeenth birthday. Who else could she go to when this whole thing with her parents became too much for her? Who else could make her laugh when all she wanted to do was curl up and die? How was she supposed to get through the next few weeks alone?

Not that her parents were actually leaving her alone, of course. That would be a refreshing change.

She followed the smell of eggs and bacon into the kitchen, but hesitated in the doorway when she saw Daniel standing at the stove. Over the past few weeks, their relationship had been... weird. Her mom still didn't seem to know about the night spent with Dominic, and part of her was grateful for that. The rest of her was resentful for the watchful eye he'd kept on her ever since.

But no matter how confused these conflicting feelings made her, she still missed the good old days when they were friends. When she was glad to have him as her dad. Now whenever they were in the same room they were either fighting or uncomfortably silent. She hated it. She just didn't know how to fix it.

"Good morning," Daniel said when he finally saw her standing there. "I was just making myself some bacon and scrambled eggs. Do you want some?"

Cassie gave him an odd look and walked past him to sit at the table. "Since when do you have eggs and bacon for breakfast?" she asked.

Daniel shrugged. "Just a craving."

"Isn't Mom supposed to be the one with cravings?"

Daniel didn't answer for a second as he brought two plates to the stove and started dishing out the food. "I think she's too busy throwing up to care about cravings," he finally said as he picked up the plates and brought them to the table.

Cassie cringed. That wasn't a pleasant thought.

She watched his face as he handed her a plate and sat down with his own. She couldn't believe how much he'd changed over the last year. He looked thinner, there were black circles under his eyes, and while he still smiled sometimes, it never looked real anymore. He looked almost... old.

But the changes that stood out the most were the marks she could plainly see on his arms. She hadn't actually seen them when they were at their worst, and he'd managed to conceal them all through the winter and spring under long-sleeved shirts and sweaters. A few weeks earlier when the weather had turned warm and Daniel had worn a t-shirt for the first time, it had taken all her willpower not to stare in horror at his arms. She hadn't failed to notice that no matter how hot it got, when he left the house he always wore long sleeves.

When she finally tore her eyes away from him, she swallowed the lump in her throat and picked up her fork. The food looked good, but she really didn't feel like eating.

One glance at Daniel showed that he didn't, either.

"Are... you okay?" she asked.

Daniel stopped absently poking his food to look over at her. "What? Oh... yeah, I'm fine. Just... thinking about today."

Cassie's stomach did a somersault when his meaning sank in - this was the day they were doing that blood test thing on the baby. In just a few hours, they might know whether or not the baby was sick.

She knew she should say something, but she didn't have a clue what. Nothing she could do or say would make a difference anyway, she thought. Either the baby was sick or it wasn't. It wasn't like it was her problem or anything.

"So, what are your plans for today?" Daniel asked before she managed to come up with something to say.

"I don't know," Cassie said. "Whatever." She shoved a forkful of eggs in her mouth in the hopes that it would prevent him from asking her further questions, but it didn't work.

"Going to see Dominic?"

She chewed, swallowed, and sighed. "No, I won't be seeing him anymore," she said as casually as she could.

Daniel stared at her for a moment, and then looked down at his plate. "I'm sorry."

Cassie had to fight the urge to laugh at that. Sorry? He'd disapproved of Dominic from the moment he'd met him. He was probably inwardly rejoicing that Dominic was out of the picture now. "Yeah, like you even care," she muttered as she took another mouthful.

"Excuse me?"

Cassie regretted her words instantly, but she knew she couldn't take them back. She shrugged it off, hoping he wouldn't press the issue. "Nothing."

"No, you... you said I don't care, and that couldn't be farther from the truth," he said indignantly. "If something's going on in your life, I want to know so I can help you."

His words made her feel uncomfortable for some reason, so she pushed her plate away and got to her feet. "Thanks, but I don't need your help," she said. "Good luck with the baby thing."

She hurried out of the room before he could call after her, and carried on down the hall to the front door. She had every intention of heading straight for her car and driving off, but to her surprise, Sam was coming up the porch steps as she stepped outside.

"Hey, Cass," she said, giving her a bright smile and holding her arms out for a hug. "Going somewhere special?"

"Just... out," Cassie said as she briefly embraced her. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm going with your mom to her appointment," Sam said. "I figured she could use all the moral support she could get."

"Oh... right." Cassie felt stupid and selfish for not even thinking of that. "I, um... haven't seen her yet this morning, so... tell her I said hi, okay?"

"Okay," Sam said, looking concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm cool." Cassie jogged down the porch steps and gave Sam a slight wave. "See you later."

Thankfully, Sam didn't stand in her way or ask any more questions as Cassie hurried down the driveway and got into her car. The last thing she saw as she started the car and backed out into the street was Daniel meeting Sam at the door and letting her inside.

When the door closed behind her, Cassie felt as though she'd been shut out of their lives forever.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Janet had just sat down on the lid of the toilet with her face in her hands when she heard a soft tap at the door.

"What is it?" she called.

"It's just me," Daniel's muffled voice said. "Sam's here."

Janet sighed. Time to face the music. "Okay. I'll be right there." She stood up slowly and went to the sink to splash water on her face in the hopes that it would wake her up a little. It didn't really work.

She'd been through four months of this crap already, and even though she wasn't even halfway through the pregnancy yet, she just wanted it to be over. She knew this morning sickness would have worn off by now if she could just stop worrying about the baby. It had started to ease off over the past couple of weeks, but today... even Daniel had looked a little green around the gills when he woke up that morning. The bacon and eggs she could smell must have been his way of tempting his appetite. She hoped he'd been successful.

Once she'd dried her face, she opened the door and started down the stairs to start the day. She couldn't even be bothered with makeup. She knew she'd look half dead no matter what she did.

She somehow managed to put on a brave face for Sam over the next few hours, but whenever she caught Daniel's eye, their mutual worry almost overwhelmed both of them. Janet was immensely grateful for Sam's presence, as she knew if she and Daniel had been alone, they would have spent the entire day in silence.

As it was, Daniel barely said two words to anybody, both at home and at the academy hospital. Janet felt like slapping him a few times just to get a reaction.

For once, Janet wished she didn't know everything about a medical procedure being performed on her. She knew the doctor was being as careful as she could, but all throughout the long procedure she couldn't stop worrying about all the things that could potentially go wrong. They were thrusting a needle into the baby's tiny body in order to get this blood sample, after all. There was a very real possibility that it could be injured or even die.

Her. It was a girl, she realized as she looked at the ultrasound screen. They were going to have a daughter. She could tell already that she was going to be beautiful and perfect.

It was all so unfair.

The hours between arriving at the hospital and receiving the results were the longest of Janet's life. Once the test was complete, she was taken to a private room to rest while they monitored the baby. Sam regretfully said goodbye a minute later and went back to the base, but Daniel parked himself in the chair beside Janet's bed to keep her company.

Not that he was particularly _good_ company. He just sat there staring at his thumbs half the time, and the rest of the time he was shifting position and glancing over at the clock. She would never have thought she'd see the day when she wished he would start babbling incessantly about something... anything.

"Daniel," she said after ten minutes of silence.

He looked up at her as though she'd just roused him from a dream. "Yeah?"

"Could you... I don't know... hold my hand or something?"

Guilt instantly transformed Daniel into the man she knew and loved. "Of course," he said, scooting forward in his chair and taking her hand in both of his. "I'm sorry." He kissed the back of her hand and stroked it nervously as he forced a smile for her.

Janet forced one in return and massaged her tiny baby bump with her other hand. She kept one eye on the fetal monitor, watching for any change in the baby's heartbeat. To her surprise and relief, everything seemed to be fine. She half expected to find she was dreaming the whole thing.

By the time Dr. Warner arrived, she was sure she was dreaming.

"We've checked the baby's blood twice," he said. "We could find absolutely no trace of the disease."

Janet stared at him, dumbfounded. She'd been hoping and praying so hard to hear those words, but once they'd been said, she found it near impossible to believe them.

Daniel, on the other hand, came to life as soon as the announcement was made. He laughed joyfully and stood up to shake Warner's hand and clap him on the shoulder. By the time he turned back to Janet and sat down beside her on the bed, she'd snapped out of her daze to some extent and could return the hug he gave her.

"We really are going to be okay," he said in a choked voice. "God, we're having a baby, Janet!"

Janet couldn't help but laugh at his excitement, and she eagerly accepted the kiss that followed.

A moment later, Dr. Warner cleared his throat to get their attention. "I, um, think you should stay maybe another hour, Janet," he said. "Just to be on the safe side."

Janet nodded and smiled. "Thank you," she said.

Warner nodded, and then quietly left the room.

As soon as Janet met Daniel's gaze again, a slow grin started to spread across his face. "I don't think I've ever felt so relieved in my entire life," he said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Janet laughed and pulled him back into an embrace. She could certainly relate to that.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

To be continued...


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Daniel went to bed on Christmas Eve a happy man. Sure, he had a moody teenager and an irritable wife, but other than that, life was pretty good. This was going to be their second Christmas together as a family, and he was determined to make it the best darned Christmas ever.

Until he was ripped out of a deep sleep by a hand gripping his shoulder so hard it made him cry out in pain.

"What? What is it?" he spluttered as he became aware of his surroundings.

"Daniel... I... I think I'm in labour."

Daniel sat up and looked at Janet in shock. It didn't take him longer than a second to see that she was, indeed, having a contraction. "I... I thought they were just fake," he said, his mind still a bit foggy with sleep.

"So did I," Janet said, relaxing back against her pillows as the contraction eased off. "But that was definitely not fake."

Daniel rubbed his face to wake himself up more. "But... it isn't time," he said.

Janet sent him a glare. "I don't think the baby cares what time it is," she snapped. "Could you please call the hospital to let them know we're on our way?"

"Okay," Daniel said, reaching for the phone as Janet slowly dragged herself out of bed.

From that moment on, everything happened so fast it made Daniel's head spin. He quickly called the hospital and helped Janet get ready, and then tapped on Cassie's door to tell her they were leaving. He gave the girl a choice of whether to come with them or stay home, and received a mumbled reply that included the words "stupid baby ruining Christmas." He decided it would be best to leave her at home rather than put up with that attitude at the hospital for the next few hours, so he collected Janet and helped her out to the car.

Thirty-five weeks... he knew that the baby might have come a couple weeks early, but five? Janet didn't seem very worried, though, so he figured it couldn't be a very big deal.

Still, he noticed the doctors at the hospital were quick to meet Janet at the door and rush her off to a maternity room. Before Daniel could even grasp what had happened, they had Janet in a gown and hooked up to IV's that were supposedly going to stop her labour.

They didn't.

Daniel winced as Janet's grip on his hand tightened along with her latest contraction. "Is something wrong?" he asked as one of the doctors announced that they had to get Janet to a delivery room right away.

"We're not sure yet," the doctor said. "Something is causing your wife to go into premature labour, and it's happening pretty fast."

The first thought to enter Daniel's mind was that the baby had contracted the disease after all, and was dying or already dead. For Janet's sake, he kept this fear to himself, but it was all he could think about as they hurried off to the delivery room.

Thankfully, he had presence of mind enough to coach Janet through the delivery, but even as he gently cheered her on, he was dreading the end result.

He should have known. He shouldn't have allowed himself to hope.

But he did hope. He hoped so hard it made his lungs ache. He just wanted the baby to be healthy... please, God, just let the baby be healthy...

Barely five minutes later, after one last long push from Janet, their daughter was born. Daniel only managed to catch a glimpse of her limp little body before she was whisked away.

It was all happening so fast that he was unsure for a moment whether he was really awake. It had to just be a dream. That couldn't have been his baby he just saw. None of this was really happening...

A sudden shriek changed his mind on that score in an instant. That brand new baby cry was coming from _his baby_. He caught Janet's eye and gave her a tearful grin. Janet laughed and squeezed his hand. If nothing else, they at least knew their baby was alive.

It felt like years before the crowd of doctors on the other side of the room parted, and one of them walked towards them carrying a little bundle. "Her tests are all clean," she said with a smile. "It's like she wasn't born early at all. She's perfect."

Daniel gaped at this brand new person as she was passed over to Janet. Perfect? Tests all clean? This was definitely a dream.

"Look at her, Daniel," Janet breathed. "She is perfect."

The baby had been making pathetic little whining sounds until she heard her mother's voice. Then her little eyes started trying to seek out the place where the sound had originated.

"Hi there," Janet said. "I'm your mommy."

Daniel grinned as he watched his wife and daughter get to know each other. If it really was a dream, he hoped he'd never wake up.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

The sound of the food cart rattling past her door woke Janet out of her doze. At first she felt so groggy and disoriented that she couldn't remember where she was or what was happening. Then it clued in that her entire body felt sore and exhausted, and she remembered. She'd just had a baby.

She felt a warm glow pass over her entire body at the thought. She opened her eyes and turned her head to the side, searching for Daniel. There he was, fast asleep in the chair beside her.

"Daniel?" she said quietly.

He grunted, and his head snapped up as he slowly awoke. "Hmm?"

Janet smiled. "Wakey, wakey."

Daniel chuckled and took off his glasses to rub his eyes. "Hey," he said as he found a more comfortable position in the chair. "Sorry, I guess I dozed off."

"Where's the baby?" Janet asked.

"She's down the hall," Daniel said as he put his glasses back on. "They said she seemed fine, but they wanted her in NICU just in case."

Janet nodded and licked her lips, suddenly realizing how dry her mouth was.

Daniel took the hint right away and helped her take a few sips of water. She had to admit, she was enjoying being waited on for a change.

"I started the paperwork," he said with a smile when she'd settled back against her pillows. "Chloe Elizabeth Jackson."

Janet beamed. "I thought you didn't want to use Elizabeth," she said, remembering their various name discussions from the past few weeks.

Daniel shrugged. "Chloe Claire didn't sound right, and none of the other names meant anything to us. It's better that she be named after your mother."

Janet reached out for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Thank you."

Daniel leaned in to kiss her cheek, and then motioned for her to move over.

She laughed as Daniel climbed up onto the bed beside her and draped his arm around her shoulders. She felt like chiding him for having his shoes on the bed, but he was being so sweet that she just didn't have the heart. Instead, she snuggled into him and tucked her head under his chin.

Daniel sighed, and she could feel him relaxing bit by bit. "Can you believe this is happening?" he said. "The baby is healthy, you're okay... I keep waiting for the other shoe to fall, but at the same time it's like a weight has been lifted. You know?"

"I do know," Janet said. "It's hard to go from worrying about something for months to finding out there was nothing to worry about in the first place. I think I'll suspect I'm dreaming until the day she graduates high school."

Daniel laughed. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves," he said. He gently squeezed her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "Merry Christmas, Janet."

"Merry Christmas."

Janet smiled and closed her eyes as Daniel leaned his head back and started to doze again. She'd almost forgotten that it was Christmas. She wondered how Cassie was doing right now. She knew Daniel had called Colonel O'Neill and asked him to stop in at the house before coming to see them at the hospital, just to make sure she was okay, so that made her feel a little better about it. She hoped the girl wouldn't be too angry with them or the baby for interrupting the holiday like this.

A few moments passed in silence before Janet heard footsteps and wheels approaching her room again. This time it wasn't the food cart - it was one of the nurses bringing the baby to her.

"Since she's doing so well, we thought maybe you could try feeding her," the nurse said softly as she lifted the baby out of the plastic box-on-wheels and passed her over to Janet.

Daniel woke up and stared at the baby in awe as Janet took her and started coaxing her to feed. Miracle upon miracles, it only took a matter of seconds for her to start sucking, and for such a tiny little bundle, she had quite an appetite. Everyone was amazed, and Janet could have burst with pride. Their little girl was doing so much better than expected.

Janet spent the rest of that day alternating between dozing and feeding. She couldn't believe how tired she was, but she assumed it was because of the stress leading up to such overwhelming relief that was to blame.

Chloe slept a lot, too, so Daniel was on his own for most of the day. Janet woke up at one point to find that he'd gone home to see Cassie, but he'd returned a short time later with a forced smile and a vague comment about Cassie going to spend the night at a friend's house. Janet knew from his attitude that Cassie had been giving him a hard time, but she chose not to press him for any more information. They could deal with that when they got home.

Day two of Chloe Jackson's little life passed much like the first. Janet didn't understand why she still felt so tired and strange, but she ignored it for Daniel's sake. He was so happy it was contagious. Colonel O'Neill, Sam, Teal'c, and General Hammond all came by for a short visit, and flowers and cards poured in from SGC personnel until there wasn't an inch of space left on the floor or tables of Janet's hospital room. Everybody seemed to be over the moon about the latest addition to their makeshift family. It took both Janet and Daniel very much by surprise.

And then there was the baby herself. Her big blue eyes looked around at all the new faces with true Jackson curiosity, and as long as she was fed, changed, and frequently held, she didn't cry at all. She was simply too good to be true.

After five days of being monitored and poked with needles more times than Janet cared to count, Chloe was finally allowed to go home. SG-1 was waiting at the door when they arrived, and even Cassie made an appearance before running off to her friend's house again. They had a belated Christmas that day, and Janet had never felt such love for her friends and family in a long time.

Janet was still feeling lethargic, and her entire hospital stay was already a blur in her mind, but Daniel seemed to find this the perfect excuse to pamper her. He set her up in their bed with the baby's cradle less than two feet away, and waited on both of them hand and foot. It was like he suddenly had enough energy for both of them.

"I don't know how you're doing it, Daniel," she said as he climbed into bed on their third night home. "Taking care of me, Chloe, Cassie... all of the housework, everything. I feel so bad leaving it all to you..."

"Don't worry about it," he said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. "You just need to rest for a few days. Trust me, this time next week you'll be the one doing all the work."

Janet laughed and swatted him. "Gee, thanks," she said. "That's something to look forward to."

Daniel chuckled and started slowly stroking her back. "You know," he said, "a few months ago, I honestly didn't think this new year would bring us anything but pain. Now it's here, and I've never been happier. Though I feel like I'm jinxing it now... but it's true."

Janet smiled and patted his chest. "Me, too," she said. How did they ever doubt it?

Once again, she quickly drifted off to sleep, something she was becoming accustomed to doing day or night since the baby was born. Though something felt different tonight. It was like she was asleep, only she felt as though she was awake at the same time.

She was vaguely aware of the sound of Daniel's heartbeat and the steady rise and fall of his chest as he slept. She felt as though she were floating rather than dreaming, and she found it rather peaceful. She was almost tempted to stay that way forever.

Then something changed. Daniel's heartbeat quickened and his breathing became more erratic. She wasn't disturbed by this - actually, she found it rather fascinating. The steady _ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom_ was hypnotic, drawing her deeper and deeper into this peaceful place.

"Oh God... Janet?"

She heard Daniel's voice, but for some reason she found she couldn't react to it. She didn't even want to react to it.

"Janet, wake up!"

She felt him shake her by the shoulder, and it made her angry. What was so important that he would try to make this wonderful floating sensation go away?

"Oh God, this can't be happening!"

Janet finally woke up as Daniel rolled her over onto her back. "What? What?" she asked, flailing her hands in the air as if to swat him away.

But in a moment he was gone from the bed. It took her a few seconds to realize what was going on, but as soon as she heard that all too familiar sound...

"No. No, please, no."

She flew from the bed to join him and snatched her baby into her arms before he had the chance.

"Please, no!"

Chloe was wheezing.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

To be continued...


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"How the hell did this happen? She was _fine!_"

Dr. Warner shook his head. "I honestly don't know what to tell you," he said. "We don't know enough about this disease to..."

Daniel halted his pacing for a moment to glare at him. "No, you ran all the tests on her that you've run on me, and you told me she was fine!" he snapped. "How could you miss something like this?"

"It wasn't there," Warner insisted. "We checked her blood at least a dozen times while she was in the hospital, and there was no trace of the gene in her DNA. Upon first glance, it isn't even there now."

Daniel narrowed his eyes. "Upon first glance?" he repeated. "Well, how about you keep on glancing until you _find_ the damn thing?"

"Daniel, this isn't helping," Janet said from across the room. She hadn't moved away from Chloe's incubator since they'd arrived at the SGC over an hour earlier, but she had obviously been following their conversation. Daniel sighed when he looked at her. She was worn out and miserable, and it was entirely his fault.

His guilt was starting to make him angry. Very angry.

"What am I supposed to do?" he said in a low voice as he stepped closer to his wife. "Just sit here and watch her die? I can't do that. I don't think you can, either."

Janet spun around to look at him, and if looks could really kill, he would have died on the spot. "They are doing the best they can, Daniel," she said. "Meanwhile, I'm trying to offer our daughter as much comfort as I can while she struggles to breathe. All you're doing is fighting with the people who are trying to save her life, and ordering them to do things they're already doing. Which one of us is being more productive, hmm?"

Daniel's chest constricted as he looked down at Chloe and heard the venom in Janet's tone. God, it was really happening. Their daughter was dying, and Janet had already begun hating him. It was like all of his nightmares were coming true at once. "Maybe I should just get out of everybody's hair, then," he said.

Janet turned back to the baby. "Maybe you should."

Daniel stared at her stiff back for a moment, and then dropped his gaze to the floor. He couldn't even look over at Dr. Warner as he headed for the door and left the infirmary.

He wasn't sure where he was going, but his legs just wouldn't stop moving as he hurried through the corridors of the SGC. He felt as though he needed to get as far away from the infirmary as possible, yet at the same time it was where he wanted to be more than anywhere else in the galaxy. He just couldn't stand to see his child suffering the same way he'd suffered. So far it was just her breathing that was a problem, but soon enough there would be the red eyes, the flaking skin... it made him sick just thinking about it.

Their beautiful daughter was turning into one of _them_.

Daniel sucked in a sharp breath and huddled against the wall of the corridor as a sudden, vivid flashback entered his mind. He was there... he could hear them moan... he could feel their hands on his skin... he could feel the prick of needles and the burning of the chemicals they pumped into him...

He covered his mouth to stifle his frustrated scream and started to run. He ran down corridor after corridor, stairwell after stairwell, not thinking about anything but putting one foot in front of the other. He had to get away from that feeling - the feeling that they were there, watching him, and that even though they were light years away, they still had control over his entire life. He knew that if he thought about it too much, it would drive him insane.

When he found himself outside his office, he ran inside and leaned against his desk while he tried to catch his breath. He realized as his adrenaline started to wear off that he was shaking from head to toe, and that his legs were starting to feel weak. He sank into his chair before he collapsed completely.

He laid his arms on the desk and rested his head in the crook of his elbow, expecting to cry. He didn't. He was surprised to discover that he didn't really feel anything anymore - not grief, not anger, not fear... nothing. A blissful numbness had taken their place.

With this numbness came clarity. For the first time since the moment he'd heard his child start to wheeze in her sleep, he could think clearly about the situation. It was like he suddenly managed to detach himself from it all and see it from an outsider's point of view.

Chloe was sick... but it was a treatable disease. She didn't have to die. Not if they could somehow find the cure.

And maybe Syun had already given it to him.

With shaking hands, Daniel reached down to open the bottom drawer of his desk. Hiding beneath a jumble of assorted tools and artifacts was the device Syun had handed Jack as they'd made their escape from his planet. Daniel had been through the information contained in this device at least a dozen times, but could looking at it one more time hurt?

"There had to be a reason why he gave me this thing," Daniel muttered as he activated it and started flipping from page to page of the alien writings.

If there was an answer in there, he would find it.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

"Cassie? Are you home?"

Cassie sat up on her bed and wiped her eyes at the sound of Sam's voice. "Crap," she muttered. She really didn't want to see anybody, least of all a mother hen. She just wanted to nurse her self-pity and New Year's hangover in private.

"Hello?" Sam called.

Cassie winced as she heard footsteps on the stairs. She grabbed her pillow and lay down on her side with it tucked under her chin. Sam was going to find her, so she may as well fake sleep and hope she went away.

"Hey, there you are," Sam said as she pushed Cassie's bedroom door open. "Are you sleeping?"

Cassie cracked an eye open to look at her. "Maybe."

Sam gave her a sympathetic look and sat down on the side of the bed. "Hangover?"

Cassie glared at her. "Maybe."

Sam leaned forward and whispered, "Don't worry, I won't rat you out for drinking. Your mom just asked me to come check on you, make sure you got home okay last night."

Right. Of course. Janet had asked someone else to come check up on the alien girl while she was busy fussing over her own kid. Made sense. "I got home fine, as you can see," she said. "You can go now."

"Did you get the note they left for you?"

Cassie sighed and slowly sat up again. "If you mean the hastily scribbled message I found on a Post-It on my bedroom door, then yes, I did," she said. "'Cassie, Chloe is sick. We've taken her to the SGC. Call if you need us. Mom and Dad.'" She rolled her eyes, and then winced at the extra stab of pain it caused. "You know, if I'd known nobody would be home, I would have brought the party back here."

Sam gave her that annoying look of sympathy again. "They're doing the best they can," she said, laying her hand on Cassie's arm. "It turns out that Chloe has the disease after all, and they're devastated. I know you may think they're pushing you aside, but..."

"If you know exactly how I feel, then why do you need to be in here talking to me?" Cassie snapped. "You can tell Janet I'm fine and just... go." She lay down again and turned her back to Sam, hoping she'd take the hint and leave.

"So, she's Janet now?"

Cassie sighed in exasperation. "Okay... you can tell _Mom_ I'm fine. Could you please go now?"

Sam hesitated a moment, but then stood up and patted Cassie's back. "Okay," she said. "But just so you know, I'm under strict orders to stay until one or both of your parents comes back, so... I'll be downstairs if you need me."

Cassie didn't answer. She lay in silence until Sam left the room, closing the door behind her.

"My parents died on Hanka," Cassie whispered to the wall. She shivered and buried her face in her arms to cry some more.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Janet swiped a hand across her face in an attempt to wake herself up and wipe away some of the tears she'd shed over the last hour. It was only then that she realized her face was covered not only in tears, but also in sweat.

"Dr. Warner?" she called softly over her shoulder. She looked down at her baby to make sure she hadn't been disturbed by her mother's voice. Thankfully, she was still sound asleep.

"Is there something you need?" Warner asked as he approached her.

Janet turned to him with a hand to her forehead. "I think I'm running a fever," she said. "I've been feeling really tired, but I thought it was just the lack of sleep..."

"I'll fetch a thermometer," Warner said, and hurried off to do so.

It only took a minute to see that Janet's temperature was three degrees higher than it should be, but she could have told him that without confirmation from the thermometer. All Janet wanted to know was _why_.

A sinking feeling entered the pit of her stomach as a thought occurred to her - maybe she hadn't just been tired all this time. Maybe she was sick, and had somehow made Chloe sick, too.

Maybe this wasn't Syun's disease after all.

"I want you to run every test you can possibly think of on me," she said as she hopped up onto the closest bed to her daughter's incubator. "If there's something wrong with me, it might be affecting the baby, too."

"Janet, I'm sure it's only stress and exhaustion..."

"We don't know what it is," she insisted. "I need to find out. Please."

Warner sighed and nodded. "It can't hurt to be sure," he said.

"Thank you." Janet lay down on the bed as Warner started preparing to draw her blood. "Wait," she said before he could insert the needle in her arm.

"What is it?"

Janet was about to ask that he call for Daniel first, but then she remembered the way they'd parted. He seemed furious with himself for being the cause of their baby's illness, so what would happen if it turned out it was actually her fault? Would he turn his anger on her?

No, it was better if he didn't know about this until it had been confirmed one way or another, she decided. It might be hours before the test results came back, and she could do without his pacing and frustration in the meantime.

"Nothing," she said. "Do it."

She laid her head back and tried to relax as the vials filled with her blood. She wasn't sure whether to hope they'd find the answer this way or not, so she closed her eyes and braced herself for the agonizing wait.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Daniel laced his fingers through his hair and gave it a hard yank as he skimmed over yet another page of alien text. He'd looked at page upon page of it - articles on the drugs the aliens used to transform his genetic structure, a complete history of the alien disease and how it had come to be, even the occasional photograph of the people and animals exposed to this disease both before and after they became symptomatic. It was starting to drive him mad.

One more click of the button and he was looking into the faces of what appeared to be this planet's version of cattle as they were being led into the medical compound. Daniel shuddered at the sight. Not only did he pity those poor animals their fate, but the building itself was enough to freak him out. From what Daniel could gather, the kind of experiments Syun and his companions were conducting weren't exactly condoned by the general populace, so they'd had to smuggle their subjects into the building under the cover of darkness. Seeing the place that had held him captive for so long shrouded in shadow with those aliens circling around their new guinea pigs...

Daniel almost jumped out of his skin when his office phone rang.

He grabbed the receiver and tried to stop himself from shaking as he lifted it to his ear. "Daniel Jackson," he said.

"Hey, Daniel," Sam's voice greeted him. "Am I calling at a bad time?"

Daniel sighed and took off his glasses so he could rub his tired eyes. "No, not at all," he said. "I was just... doing some work. Trying to keep my mind off things."

"How's Chloe doing?"

"She's... hanging in there," he said. "How's Cassie taking all of this?"

Sam paused for a second, and then said, "Actually, she's why I'm calling. I've been here for a few hours, and she's been in her room the entire time. When I went to check on her, it looked like she'd been crying. And... I told her I wouldn't tell you about this, but... it also looked like she'd been drinking last night."

Daniel suddenly realized that his head was pounding. "I see," he said. "Well... Janet's with the baby, and I doubt Cassie would want to talk to me, so..."

"That's just it, Daniel. I think she does want to talk to you. I remember when my mom died, and I was mad as hell at my dad for years, all I really wanted was for him to sit down and _talk_ to me. Even though I probably would have lashed out at him if he had... I think that was something I needed to do."

Daniel closed his eyes as resignation started to set in. He knew that being a father meant being there for your children through thick and thin and teenage rage, and right now he wasn't being there for either of them. He'd thought going through the information on this damn device would yield some kind of result, but instead he'd just been wasting time he could have spent at his baby's side. And now Cassie was going out drinking and doing God knew what else because he was trying to avoid her to prevent getting into another fight.

He had to fix this. He had to stop wallowing in self-pity long enough to do his job for at least one of his children. And right now, Cassie was probably the easier of the two to deal with.

"Okay," he said with a sigh. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

"I don't want to drag you away from Janet and Chloe for this," Sam said. "I just thought you should know..."

"No, it's okay," Daniel said. "Really. There's not much I can do here anyway. I was just..."

He stopped as he looked down at the device. Something in the picture caught his eye... something he hadn't noticed the last dozen times he'd seen this photograph.

"Daniel?"

"Yeah," he said absently as he picked up the device and looked at it more closely. "Hey, Sam? Just out of curiosity... can you find a planet's co-ordinates based on the constellations they see in their sky?"

Maybe there was a way he could fix everything.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

To be continued...


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Oh my God."

A shiver ran down Janet's spine at those words. "What is it?" she asked, sitting up slowly in the infirmary bed.

"I... I don't even know how to tell you this," Warner said, slowly turning around in his chair to look at her from his desk across the room. "Janet... your blood samples contain antibodies that are like nothing I've ever seen before. I don't know how, but... it seems as though your body is trying to fight Syun's disease, even though I've found no evidence that you have it."

Janet gaped at him for a moment, and then swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Could that be what's happening to Chloe, too?" she asked hopefully as she got down and crossed the room towards him.

Warner glanced over at the baby and shook his head slowly. "I'm fairly certain we would have found these antibodies if they were in Chloe's system," he said. "Granted, we weren't looking for them when she was first born, so she may have had them then. But we've run every test on Chloe that we ran on you, and we found nothing."

"So, what you're saying is, you think my immune system has been fighting this disease throughout my pregnancy, and now that Chloe is on her own, her body can't do the same."

Warner didn't even have to answer. Janet already knew. It made a lot of sense - it explained her exhaustion, her intense morning sickness throughout her pregnancy, and it probably even explained why she went into labour so early and so quickly. Her immune system had been fighting Chloe's battle. The only thing it didn't explain...

"If this is true, then why aren't you finding any trace of this disease in her?" she asked. "And why wouldn't my breast milk be giving her the antibodies she needs? How could something like this be so devastating and resistant, and yet be completely invisible?"

Warner shook his head. "I honestly don't know," he said. "Maybe it's different for infants. Maybe it's there, it's just hiding in a place we can't find it. As for your milk... maybe your body isn't creating as much of the antibodies as it was when Chloe was in your womb. Your immune system still seems to want to fight it, but it's finding nothing there to fight."

Janet felt tears sting her eyes at the thought. Without her even knowing it, her body had been fighting hard to keep her daughter alive. It just wasn't hard enough.

"Thank you, Matthew," she said, feeling even more exhausted and deflated than ever.

"There is hope," he said. "If we can find a way to synthesize these antibodies..."

"You'll never find a way in time," Janet said as she took her place by her daughter's side again. "That could take months, or even years."

Warner came over to rest a hand on her shoulder. "Hope is hope," he said. "I'll send these results to Area 51 right away."

Janet sighed as he left the room, leaving her alone with her sleeping child. Chloe's wheezing was starting to drown out the beeps from her heart monitor. She seemed to be growing steadily worse.

There was just no time.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Daniel handed Sam his hastily traced outline of the stars above Syun's planet. "These are the star patterns I was telling you about," he said. "Think you can make something of them?"

Sam took the paper and studied it closely. "Well, I'm not making any promises," she said, "but I'll see what I can do. What was this for again?"

"Just an artifact someone found off-world that gave a star chart rather than a planet designation for some... Goa'uld treasury or something," Daniel said, hoping his lie wasn't too obvious. "You never know what kind of valuable technology might have been stashed there, so I thought it was worth checking into."

"Great," Sam said with a smile. "I'll get on it as soon as I get back to the base. Is there anything else you need?"

"Um... just... check on Janet whenever you get a chance... okay?"

Sam's smile softened and she gently touched his arm. "Of course. Good luck with Cassie."

Daniel winced. "Thanks." He knew he was going to need it.

Once he'd shown Sam out, Daniel turned to face the stairs. It was funny how ominous they suddenly looked. He shook himself out of that frame of mind and braced himself. Then he started to climb.

He heard quiet music as he approached Cassie's room, which was unusual. Usually, if there was any kind of music coming from Cassie's room at all, it was loud. Quiet could only mean one thing - she really was hung over.

As he raised his hand to knock on her door, a flicker of doubt entered his mind. He knew what he planned to do once Sam had found those co-ordinates, and he also knew that there was a very good chance that he would never return home after stepping through the gate to do it. This might be the last chance he had to talk to Cassie about... anything. He needed to make it count.

Taking a deep breath, he rapped his knuckles twice on the door.

"I'm fine, Sam," Cassie called from inside her room. From her tone, Daniel guessed she'd said those words quite a few times already.

"Actually, it's Daniel," he said. "Can I come in?"

Daniel held his breath during the long pause that followed. Finally, he heard her reluctantly say, "Yeah, come in."

He heard her switch the music off as he opened the door and poked his head inside. He forced a smile when he saw her perched on her bed with a magazine in her hands. How she managed to look so childlike and yet so grown up and hardened was beyond him, but it made a lump rise in his throat.

This wasn't going to be easy.

He nervously cleared his throat as he shut the door behind him and approached the bed. He was just about to sit down on the end of it when he noticed the frightened look on Cassie's face.

"What happened?" she asked quietly. "Where's Mom?"

"She's still at the SGC with Chloe," Daniel said as he sat down. "Chloe's stable for now, but... she could grow worse at any time."

Cassie swallowed and nodded gravely. "So... why are you here?" she asked.

Daniel looked down at his hands for a moment and then back at Cassie. "Sam called me," he said. "She was concerned about you."

Cassie rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. "Well, she needn't be," she said. "I'm fine."

"So I heard."

"Yeah. So, you've done your job. You can go back to your baby now." She picked up her magazine and proceeded to ignore him.

Daniel sighed and closed his eyes as he tried to think of what to do. He couldn't handle this hostility from Cassie much longer. He missed the days when they were friends, when they'd have fun together. He knew they'd probably never be that way again, but he couldn't go off on this solitary mission knowing she hated him.

He really had nothing to lose.

"Cassie?"

She peeked up at him over the top of her magazine, seemingly intrigued by the sadness in his tone. "What?"

Daniel took a deep breath and released it before he spoke again. "I... feel like I'm losing you," he said, his emotions constricting his voice so it came out as almost a whisper.

Cassie's expression changed from indifference to surprise to confusion and finally to suspicion in the span of a second. "W...what?"

Daniel wetted his lips and cleared his throat again. "Ever since... the pregnancy... you've been distancing yourself more and more from your mom and me," he said. "You've completely ignored your sister since she was born, and..."

"She's not my sister."

Daniel blinked at her in surprise. "Cassie... just because we're not all related by blood, it doesn't make us any less a family."

"I'm the outsider here, Daniel," she said, tears filling her eyes. "The rest of you are a family. I'm not."

"God, Cassie... that couldn't be any less true."

"It is true! I was just getting used to you being here when the baby came along, and suddenly that was all you and Janet could think about. The baby this, the baby that... it was like I didn't even exist anymore. And then Dominic dumped me, and nobody even noticed! Then the baby was born and the three of you were this happy little family, and I just wished she would die. And now that she is... I can't stop thinking about it and feeling like it's my fault, that I wished her to die!"

Daniel didn't let her get any further in her impassioned speech. He scooted closer to her and gathered her into his arms as she started to sob.

He couldn't believe she'd been holding all of this inside all this time. He mentally kicked himself for not sitting down to talk with her months earlier. He'd been so absorbed in his own self-pity that he hadn't even noticed his daughter was hurting just as much as he was.

To Daniel's surprise, Cassie clung to him as she cried into his shoulder, and made no attempt to push him away. Neither of them said a word - he simply stroked her hair and rocked gently from side to side as she let it all out. He even kept up the motions when her tears eased off a few minutes later, not wanting to let the moment go just yet.

Finally, Cassie lifted her head from Daniel's shoulder, sniffed, and said, "I'm sorry."

Daniel cupped her face in one hand and brushed her damp hair back with the other. "I'm sorry, too," he said. "We should have had this talk months ago."

Cassie backed away from him and reached for a tissue from her nightstand. She quickly dabbed at her eyes and blew her nose, and then tossed the tissue in the garbage can by her bed. "What's gonna happen?" she asked as she folded her hands in her lap and stared down at them.

Daniel sighed and wiped a stray tear from his own eye. "I don't know," he said. "Your mom will probably stay with the baby as much as she can, and I'll have to go back at some point this afternoon. But Jack, Sam, and Teal'c will take turns being here for you."

Cassie looked up at him through her lashes. "That's... not what I meant," she said tentatively. "I mean..."

"I know what you meant," Daniel said. "Like I said... I don't know. She might have a few days left, she might have months... I just don't know."

Cassie looked stung, and wrapped her arms tightly around her stomach.

Daniel reached out to put his hand on her knee. "But no matter what happens," he said softly, "we love you, and none of this is your fault. Do you understand me?"

Cassie bit her lip and nodded. "Yeah."

Daniel lifted his hand from her knee and laid it on top of her head. He'd often found it amazing how much you could love a child that wasn't your own, and wondered whether it was possible to love a child you'd fathered any more than he loved Cassie. Now that he had Chloe, he realized that the answer was no - he loved them both the same. God, he loved them so much it hurt.

"Come here," he said, pulling Cassie towards him again. She nestled her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist as he buried his face in her hair and hugged her tight. "I love you," he said. "I always have, and I always will. Never forget that, okay?"

Cassie nodded as best she could and squeezed his waist. "I love you, too."

Daniel winced and raised his head to take a deep breath. He wasn't sure which was more painful - doing what he was about to do thinking she hated him, or doing what he was about to do knowing she loved him. He'd been willing to die before, but now... now he knew he had to survive. He had to go back to that planet and bring back a cure for his baby. Not just for Chloe's sake, but for everyone's sake.

Somehow that thought erased a considerable amount of his fear. He couldn't fail. They were counting on him.

He wouldn't fail.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

To be continued...


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

It was amazing how much better she felt after a shower, Janet mused as she hurried back to the infirmary. For those few moments as she'd stood under the spray of hot water, she had almost been able to forget that her life was never going to feel worth living again. Now that reality was setting in, she was just glad to be feeling clean.

She stopped in the doorway of the infirmary when she saw that Daniel was standing over Chloe's incubator. He appeared to be talking quietly to her, and she didn't want to disturb them. It was one of very few visits Daniel had paid her over the past two days, after all.

Janet had only been standing there for a few seconds when Daniel turned around and saw her. He seemed embarrassed, and took a couple of steps away from Chloe's side as Janet walked towards him.

"Hey," he said as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Sorry, I didn't see you standing there."

"It's okay. It's good to see you in here." Despite the distance she'd felt between them over the past couple of days, Janet found she couldn't resist reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. She'd felt so alone the moment Chloe had gotten sick, and the feeling was only growing worse with each passing hour. She needed Daniel right now more than she'd ever thought it possible to need anyone, even if she was mad as hell at him for hiding in his office all the time.

Janet sighed when Daniel returned the embrace. She threaded her fingers through his hair and held on tight, pretending for that one minute that they were okay. The way Daniel was slowly moving his hands up and down her back brought back so many sweet memories.

But, just like her shower, this moment of fantasy had to end. Daniel's hands eventually moved to her arms, and removed them from around his neck.

"Janet?"

She laid her hands on his chest and looked up expectantly into his face.

He seemed to feel an overwhelming need to say something, but whatever it was wasn't coming easily. He had such a look of pain in his eyes that for a moment Janet feared that the baby had passed while she'd been gone.

She darted her gaze over to Chloe, and was relieved to see that her little chest was still rising and falling evenly. She was still stable. She was still fighting.

So, what was Daniel so reluctant to tell her?

"What is it?" she asked.

Daniel cleared his throat and shifted his weight from one foot to another. "I, um... I was just talking with General Hammond," he said.

Janet narrowed her eyes at him, not sure what he was trying to say. When he didn't continue, she prodded, "What were you talking about?"

Daniel sighed and looked away for a second before making eye contact again. "I... I just feel as though I'm going crazy here, Janet," he said. "I can't stand just sitting here and watching her... fade." He took a deep breath and let the rest of his words out in a rush. "I requested to be assigned to a mission off world, and Hammond agreed."

Janet felt as though time froze after this revelation. She had suddenly been hit with the feeling that she was looking into the eyes of a complete stranger. There was no way Daniel would so carelessly abandon her at a time like this. Not when their baby was dying. Not when at any moment her world could come crashing down, and he would be the only person who could share her pain. Not when she needed him most.

He was talking again, but it took Janet a few seconds to figure out what he was saying.

"...think it would be good for me to get out there again. You know I wouldn't leave if I didn't feel it was necessary..."

She didn't even know her arm was moving until she heard the sharp snapping sound and felt a sudden sting in her palm. As soon as she realized what she'd done, her anger broke loose in full force, and she slapped him again.

_"Necessary!"_ she cried. "How the hell could anything be more _necessary_ than being with your daughter while she dies? Than being with _me?_ What, it's just a coincidence that this is the first time you've dared go anywhere near the gate in the past year? You're a coward, Daniel! You can't face the reality of this situation, so you've got to run to the other side of the galaxy just to get away! Will I ever even see you again?"

Daniel stared at the floor through Janet's entire diatribe, not moving from the position she'd slapped him into and not uttering a sound. That only made Janet's anger worse.

"Forget it," she said in a low voice. "I don't even care. I don't know you anymore. Go. Just don't expect me to accept you back when you feel it's 'necessary' to return."

She turned her back on him and pressed her hands against the walls of Chloe's incubator as she tried to calm herself down.

"I'm sorry, Janet," Daniel whispered.

"Just go."

Her back stiffened as she heard Daniel take a step towards her, but then he paused, sighed, and walked slowly out of the infirmary.

As soon as he was gone, Janet covered her face with her hands and let her tears flow freely. As if it wasn't bad enough that she was losing her baby, she'd just lost her husband, too.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Jack tapped his foot and rested his arms on his P-90. He hated waiting.

He glanced over at Carter and Teal'c, and he could tell they were bored and impatient, too. With Carter that was easy to tell - she was chewing on the inside of her lip and shifting her weight from one foot to another while she looked around at every corner of the gateroom and then some. For Teal'c... well, he looked the same as ever with his hands folded behind his back and his head held high, but he exuded an air of boredom that was unmistakable.

"Where the hell is Daniel?" Jack demanded of Carter for the fifth time.

She gave him a wide-eyed look and shrugged.

Jack sighed. He knew Daniel was going through a rough time with the baby and all, but that was no reason to keep them all waiting like this.

Finally, he heard rapid footsteps approaching the gateroom, and a breathless Daniel ran through the door. "Sorry I'm late, I..." He stopped dead when he made eye contact with Jack. "What are you doing here?"

Jack gave him a look of utter disbelief. "Waiting for you," he said matter-of-factly. He squinted and looked more closely at Daniel's face when he noticed there was a huge red mark splashed across his cheek. "What's wrong with your face?" he asked.

Daniel closed his eyes and made a frustrated face for a split second before returning to normal. "I mean, what are you guys doing here? I thought I was going with SG-10."

Jack shrugged. "I requested that you go with us instead. It's your first mission since you-know-what, and I wanted to make damn sure you came back in one piece."

"But... who's with Cassie?" Daniel asked, almost desperately.

Jack tilted his head to one side as he sized Daniel up. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you weren't happy to see us."

"Cassie's fine," Carter said. "She's staying with friends."

"There, you see?" Jack said, shooting Carter a grateful look. "Cassie's fine, and we're all ready to go. Unless... you're having second thoughts?"

Part of him was hoping Daniel would say yes to that question. When Hammond had told him about Daniel's request to be sent off world, he'd known right away it was an escape tactic. It wasn't up to him to stop Daniel from going, but he wasn't against trying to talk him out of it.

Daniel wasn't going to make that easy. His back straightened, and a determined look came over his face as he stepped closer to the ramp. "No, no second thoughts," he said. "I'm ready to do this."

Jack signalled to Hammond in the control room, and the Stargate started dialling. He moved closer to Daniel when he noticed he stiffened up at the sound, and clapped his hand on Daniel's shoulder.

Daniel jumped and turned to face him. "What?"

"I just want to know that you understand what you're doing here," he said, loud enough that Daniel could hear him over the sound of chevrons locking, but quiet enough that no one else could. "If you go through that gate and something happens to Chloe..."

"Chloe's stable," Daniel said. "I just want to feel like I'm doing something, Jack. Not just sitting on my hands all day waiting for the inevitable. Why is that so hard for everyone to understand?"

Jack studied the mark on Daniel's face again, finally realizing what it was. Fraiser obviously hadn't understood. "Fine," he said. "But just so you know, Hammond is going to contact us if anything changes, good or bad, and if that happens, I'll drag you back by your ear if you so much as ask for one more _second_ with these damn ruins. Are we clear?"

Daniel reacted like Jack had just slapped him, too. "Yeah," he said, pulling his shoulder out of Jack's grasp. "We're clear."

Jack didn't take his eyes off Daniel's face until the last chevron locked and the Stargate roared to life. He could tell Daniel was scared as hell, which wasn't exactly a surprise. He'd been avoiding the gateroom like a plague up until today because it brought back memories he obviously hadn't felt ready to deal with yet. What was surprising was that he'd chosen today to face them.

He hung back as Carter and Daniel walked up the ramp, and motioned to Teal'c to stick with him. As soon as Carter and Daniel disappeared through the event horizon, he said to Teal'c, "Watch him, will you? I'm bringing him back at the first sign this mission's getting too much for him."

Teal'c bowed his head. "I will."

Seconds later, Jack found himself on yet another grassy planet. The only thing that set this planet apart from the few hundred other grassy planets they'd visited was the crumbled down wall that encircled the gate at approximately a thirty-foot radius.

And that didn't exactly give it many points in Jack's book.

"So, Daniel... you know what you're doing here?" he asked as Daniel scanned their surroundings.

Daniel nodded vaguely and started walking towards the piece of wall to the right of the Stargate.

Jack shrugged and motioned for Teal'c to follow him. Then he turned to Carter. "Let's check this place out," he said. "I don't trust that MALP when it says the place is uninhabited."

They spent the next few minutes setting up a perimeter, and Jack kept half an eye on Daniel and Teal'c the whole time. Well, he kept half an eye on Teal'c. Daniel was out of his line of sight most of the time, squatting down to read whatever was written on the wall. Whenever he stood up to walk to another section of ruins, Jack studied him as closely as he could from a distance. He seemed nervous, but still determined. Jack had to give him credit for that.

When they reached a small wood, Jack sent Carter to give it a once-over alone and stationed himself in a position to keep an eye on both Carter and Daniel. When he turned his gaze back to the ruins, however, his marker was nowhere to be found.

"Teal'c?" he called. "Daniel?"

Daniel poked his head out from behind a hunk of wall and waved.

Jack shook his head. Knowing Daniel, he was probably subjecting Teal'c to a long and rather boring lecture about something he'd found. He was glad he'd assigned Teal'c to the job rather than himself.

"I think there's a cave in here, Sir," Carter called from the edge of the wood. "It appears to be empty, but there are some drawings on the walls I think Daniel would like to see."

"Great," Jack said unenthusiastically. "Yet another reason for us to stay here for hours on end."

Carter grinned and disappeared into the trees again.

"Crap," Jack muttered under his breath as he peered between the trees to look at it. And he'd been hoping to convince Daniel to leave this place sooner rather than later.

A sudden noise behind him caused him to snap to attention and spin around with his gun ready. Even so, it took a minute for him to fully believe what he was seeing.

Daniel was dialling the gate.

"Daniel?" he yelled. "What the hell are you doing?"

When Daniel didn't answer or even turn around, Jack started to run. "Hey!" he called. "If you wanted to go back, why didn't you just say so?"

Daniel ran behind the DHD as the wormhole engaged, and turned to face Jack with his zat gun armed. "Don't follow me, Jack," he said as Jack stopped ten feet away from him.

Jack held his hands out to his sides, sure that Daniel had finally cracked. "Easy, Daniel," he said, trying to sound as soothing as he could. "You don't need to use that. Just tell me what you're doing."

Daniel shook his head and started backing away from him. "I'm sorry," he said. "I don't want you to follow me."

"Okay. Okay, I won't follow you. Just tell me where you're going."

Daniel seemed torn between laughing and crying. "I can't," he said, still edging towards the gate. "You'd try to stop me."

Jack had just glanced at the DHD to see which chevrons were alight when he heard Carter cry, "Daniel!"

Daniel's attention was diverted to Carter for a second, so Jack took the opportunity to lunge towards him. "I'm sorry, Jack!" was the last thing he heard before the zat went off and all he could feel, hear, taste, smell, and see was pain.

He didn't know how much time passed before his senses stopped reeling, but the next thing he knew he was laying on the ground with Carter hovering over him. "Are you alright, Sir?" she asked.

"Daniel," Jack croaked as he struggled to sit up. "The son of a bitch shot me."

"Yes, Sir. He shot Teal'c, too."

Jack followed her pointed finger to see Teal'c pulling himself to his feet over by the ruins. "Dammit," he said, forcing himself to stand while waving away Carter's assistance. "Where the hell did he go?"

"I don't know, Sir," she said. "The Stargate had shut down by the time I was close enough to see the DHD. Did you get a look at it before..."

Jack glared at her as her voice trailed off. "Yeah, I saw it for a second," he said. He moved over to the DHD and wracked his brains to remember which symbols had been activated. "I think... this one... maybe this one and this one... and this one..."

"Oh my God," Carter said. "He... he asked me the other day if I could figure out a Stargate address by seeing the star patterns in the planet's night sky, and he gave me a chart he said he'd found on an artifact. I gave him the result last night."

"Just hours before he requested he go on this mission?" Jack said angrily. "For crying out loud... do you remember the address?"

"Yes, Sir..."

"Then dial it," he snapped. "I think I can guess where he's gone, and I'll be damned if I let him commit suicide on my watch."

"I am sorry, O'Neill," Teal'c said, coming to Jack's side as Carter hurried to the DHD. "I was not as watchful as I should have been."

"It's not your fault, T," Jack assured him. "Nobody was expecting Daniel to go Rambo all of a sudden."

Teal'c cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, but Jack just waved him off. "Ask me later," he said. "Let's just find Daniel and drag his ass home."

Jack wasn't sure what sight would meet him on the other side of the gate as he stepped through a moment later - he was half expecting to find Daniel shot dead two feet away, with zombies crowded around him ready to make him their next meal - but what he did see somehow managed to come as a surprise. Flowers were blooming, birds were singing, a soft breeze was blowing... it was a peaceful, sunny day on planet Living Dead. Not exactly his first guess.

He could see the so-called science lab a short distance away, but there was no sign of Daniel. "Looks like he's already inside," he said. "Carter, I want you to head back to the SGC, let them know where we are. Bring backup."

Carter looked worried, but she gave him a hasty, "Yes, Sir," and trotted over to the DHD.

Jack patted Teal'c on the arm. "Let's go," he said. He started to lead the way, but then stopped and said significantly, "Let's hold off on shooting to kill until we know what we're into here."

Teal'c nodded, and fell into step behind him as they hurried towards the compound.

They reached the backdoor of the place in less than a minute, and were greeted by the sight of one of the aliens lying unconscious in the doorway. The sliding doors were trying to close on its middle, making it seem all the more gruesome. Jack gritted his teeth and motioned grimly for Teal'c to drag the alien out of the way and tie it up. He was just glad Daniel hadn't outright killed it.

Once alien #1 was secure, they entered the building and nearly tripped over alien #2. By the looks of this one's bloody face, Jack could see that Daniel meant business.

Well, it just so happened that Jack meant business, too.

He kept his eyes peeled while Teal'c tied that one up, but although the corridor they were in was fairly long, he couldn't see or hear anybody anywhere nearby. He figured that either meant Daniel had knocked them all out already, or this was some kind of holiday on Zombie World.

They were soon moving again, peeking through the windows of the rooms they passed, and aimlessly making their way through the corridors. Jack had just started to despair of ever finding Daniel in this maze when he heard a sound coming from a nearby room with an open door.

He pressed his back against the wall and motioned for Teal'c to do the same. Then he slowly poked his head around the doorframe, clutching his P-90 tightly as he braced himself for what he'd find.

What he found was a weapon pointed right at his face.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

To be continued...


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Jack lowered his gun and doubled over, panting for breath. "Geez, Daniel, you scared the crap out of me," he growled. "And what do you mean, what am I doing here? I'm getting kinda sick of that question. What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

"I told you not to follow me," Daniel hissed, darting a look up and down the corridor to see if anyone had heard them, and dragging Jack and Teal'c into the foyer with him.

"Yeah, I heard you," Jack said. "But that was before you shot me. Now all bets are off. I'm taking you back to the SGC."

Daniel shook his head and backed up. "I'm not going," he said. "Not until I've got what I came for. I'm sorry I shot you, Jack, but I had to come. I have to save my daughter."

"And I have to save you," Jack said. "Sounds like we have a bit of a dilemma here."

Daniel wearily raised a hand to his head and turned around to survey his eerily familiar surroundings yet again. "Well, you might be the one getting your way anyway," he said. He pointed to the door on his left. "That was my cell right there. All the rest of them were full of various animal species... I never saw them, but I heard them almost constantly." He shook his head. "They're empty. Every last cell is empty. I haven't seen anyone since I zatted the two guards at the outside entrance. The place looks abandoned."

"What exactly were you hoping to find?" Jack asked, his anger seeming to have eased off a little.

Daniel threw his hands up helplessly and turned back to face his friends. "I don't know," he said. "Syun... some kind of information or technology they weren't willing to give us before... anything."

Jack sighed and banged his fist against his side as he looked around. "Well... Frick and Frack out there wouldn't be guarding this place if it was abandoned," he said. "We may as well take a look around, so long as we're here."

Daniel could have died of gratitude on the spot. He knew Jack was as anxious to help Chloe as the next person, but he hadn't expected him to actually be supportive after all Daniel had done. "Thanks, Jack," he said, hoping Jack picked up on just how thankful he was.

Jack nodded and rolled his eyes. "Thank me later," he said. "Let's just do this and get out of here. This place gives me the creeps."

Daniel swallowed hard as they turned to leave the cellblock. Jack wasn't the only one feeling creeped out by this place. He'd had to fight against flashbacks every few seconds since he'd arrived on this planet, and it was wearing him down. So many memories... so many horrible, painful memories...

"O'Neill," Teal'c suddenly whispered, raising his fist for them to stop.

Daniel shot Teal'c a questioning look, but Teal'c's gaze was far away, like he was listening to something.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

A second passed before Teal'c raised his finger and said, "There. Do you not hear it?"

Daniel strained his ears to hear whatever Teal'c was hearing, but he was greeted with silence. "I don't hear anything," he said. "What did..."

And then he heard it. A tiny, high-pitched wail, almost like a kitten mewing. It sounded very far away, but he had definitely heard it.

"What was that?" he said, moving towards the sound.

"Daniel..."

Jack grabbed his arm to hold him back, but Daniel wrenched it away again. "Maybe they moved the animals to another part of the facility," he said. "We have to go check it out."

He didn't wait for Jack's permission. He hurried down the corridor in the direction he thought the sound had come from, and stopped when he reached the end to listen for it again. When he didn't hear it, he looked down the corridors to his right and his left, trying to decide which one to take.

"Daniel, you have no idea where you're going, do you?" Jack said as he came up behind him.

"Wait..." Daniel said, raising his hand to silence Jack. "I think I heard it... it's this way." He turned right and started to jog, pleased that the sound was getting louder with every step. It was almost constant now, and the closer he got to it, the more he realized that it wasn't a cat at all. It sounded like...

"Oh my God."

Jack and Teal'c pushed in either side of him as he stopped in an open doorway, and all three of them gaped at what they saw. On the far end of the room there was a contraption that could only be called a crib, and it was surrounded by equipment that was all too familiar to Daniel. Inside this crib there was a baby, and it was obviously in distress.

Once Daniel's shock had worn off, he rushed over to the child to get a closer look. He was afraid to touch it in case he harmed it in some way, but he laid his hand on its stomach and made soothing sounds in the hopes that it would calm down.

Its cries broke Daniel's heart. Its little face was contorted with either pain or fear, or maybe even both, and its legs and arms were flailing helplessly. It was wearing nothing but a cloth diaper, and its skin felt almost ice cold. He finally couldn't hold back any longer - he reached in and gently picked it up.

"Daniel, I don't think you should be doing that," Jack warned from the other side of the room.

"It isn't hooked up to any of these machines," Daniel said quietly. "I think it'll be okay."

"I was thinking more about you, actually. You don't know what they've done to that kid. It could be..."

"Oh my God," Daniel said again as he looked down at the child. Its cries had eased off, and it had opened its tearful eyes to look at this strange new person. Its tearful _blue_ eyes. "Jack... this baby is human."

Jack scoffed in disgust and crossed the room to look at the child over Daniel's shoulder. "What, they're stealing babies now? That's sick."

Daniel shook his head as he looked the baby over. "Not stealing them," he said gravely. "Making them. This baby is mine."

The sound of a zat activating behind them brought Daniel's dizzying thoughts to a grinding halt before they had a chance to start making sense. Daniel and Jack spun around just as Teal'c cried, "O'Neill!"

A very stunned-looking alien had just entered the room.

Jack flew into action with his P-90, but Daniel held out his hand to stop him before he could fire.

"Jack, wait! It's Syun."

He and Teal'c eased off a little, but they didn't lower their weapons. Daniel didn't blame them. If he hadn't needed information so badly from Syun, he would have been tempted to shoot him himself.

"Syun," he said, taking two steps closer to the quivering alien, "what did you do?"

"Minal kara!"

Daniel shook his head angrily and gestured to the whimpering baby in his arms. "What the hell did you do!"

Syun looked from Daniel to the baby and then back to Daniel. "Fix," he said. "Minal kara... make. Fix."

"You made this baby from me?" Daniel said slowly and clearly.

Syun nodded. "Fix. Help," he said, looking at Jack and Teal'c as if to see if they were understanding him. "Fix!"

Daniel stared at Syun in disbelief as realization dawned. How he hadn't noticed it the moment the alien had walked in he didn't know, but now it was obvious. "Jack..."

"I know," Jack said before Daniel could say another word. "He's not wheezing."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Janet was attempting to feed Chloe when she heard the news - Daniel had run off to Syun's planet, and Colonel O'Neill was requesting backup to help rescue him.

"Is he insane?" she muttered in disbelief. Then she looked down at the frail little bundle in her arms, and she realized that she would have done the same in Daniel's place.

Still, she couldn't imagine what it must have taken for him to do this. She hated herself for the way she'd treated him before he left. If he died there, she would never forgive herself.

Minutes later, with Chloe sleeping soundly in her plastic box, Janet hurried to the control room to see if there had been any word from the rescue team. Nothing. General Hammond assured her this was to be expected, as they hadn't been gone very long, but she couldn't stop herself from worrying. It was one thing to think she'd lost Daniel when she was furious with him, but now that she knew the motives behind his actions, she just wouldn't be able to handle it if anything happened to him.

It seemed like a lifetime passed before the off world activation alarm began to sound, but it was actually closer to an hour. Janet was standing at General Hammond's side when Colonel O'Neill's voice came through the radio.

"SG-1 and SG-2 accounted for, Sir. And... we're bringing along a couple of guests. We'll need a medical team standing by."

"Understood, Colonel," General Hammond said. "Come on through."

Janet shared an anxious look with Hammond before she headed for the gateroom and he called for a medical team. She didn't like the sound of "a couple of guests." She'd had enough of those aliens for one lifetime.

She entered the gateroom just as the first two figures came through the event horizon. Her mouth fell open as she recognized Syun being led down the ramp by Major Griff. Next came Sam with the rest of SG-2, who were all carrying bags and various pieces of equipment. Then came Teal'c, and finally Daniel and Colonel O'Neill. A moment later the gate shut down.

For a second she was puzzled. Hadn't Colonel O'Neill mentioned a _couple_ of guests? The only "guest" she could see was Syun.

But then she got a better view of Daniel, and saw that he was carrying something wrapped in an Air Force issue blanket.

And then that something started to cry.

She was forced to cease her gaping as the med team arrived and tried to push past her. She quickly hopped out of the way, keeping back against the wall so she was no longer in the line of traffic.

Syun looked at her as he was led past her out of the gateroom, and there seemed to be recognition in his eyes. Janet shivered. There was something menacing about the way he was looking at her - almost as though he were angry about something and felt she was partially to blame.

It didn't occur to her until he was gone that he hadn't been wheezing.

She went back to gaping at Daniel then. He was standing at the foot of the ramp, handing his bundle over to one of the nurses. She tried to get a glimpse of the baby, but there were too many people in the way.

"Janet?" Sam said, suddenly appearing at Janet's side and laying her hand on Janet's arm. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I just... is Daniel alright?" she asked. "And where did that baby come from?"

Sam glanced over at Daniel and then back at Janet. "I think he's okay," she said. "As for the baby... I think I should let Daniel explain that one."

Janet looked back over at Daniel in time to see him watch the med team wheel the baby away on a gurney. He looked utterly exhausted.

He looked her way a second later, and their eyes met for just a moment. Then he ducked his head and turned to speak to General Hammond, who was demanding an explanation for whatever Daniel had done.

SG-2 had already left the gateroom, so Janet stepped closer to the small group gathered around the general as they pieced the tale together. She could hear what they were saying, but it barely registered in her brain.

"I had to do it, General. I had to see if I could find a way to save Chloe."

"Daniel Jackson was my responsibility, General Hammond. I am at fault for his behaviour."

"The child was made from my DNA, and Syun said he can help cure this disease. I had to bring them back."

"I don't trust Zombie Boy as far as I can throw him, Sir, but he cured himself somehow. I figured bringing him and the kid back was the wisest thing to do."

Finally, General Hammond raised his hand to stop the rapid-fire commentary. "Alright, I expect to see all four of you in the briefing room in one hour, where you will tell me _one at a time_ what happened here. Until then, I want that Syun creature in a holding room."

"Yes, Sir," Colonel O'Neill said, jogging out of the gateroom after SG-2 and Syun.

General Hammond marched out of the room then, with Sam hurrying after him, leaving Janet alone with Daniel and Teal'c. She moved towards them, but they were already heading for the door.

"Daniel?" she said, cutting them off from leaving.

He hung his head and looked at her through his lashes, a sure sign that he was feeling guilty or insecure about something.

When he didn't speak, Janet sighed. She still felt angry with him for scaring her half to death, but at the same time she wanted to cling to him and never let go. So, she settled for a simple, "Are you okay?"

Daniel gave a slight nod. "Yeah," he said. "Chloe?"

"Her fever's high," Janet said. "But she's hanging in there. Is it true what you were saying? Syun might have a way to cure her?"

Daniel paused, and then nodded again. "He might. I'm hoping... anyway."

Janet smiled, her first real smile in days. "Thank God."

They stood there awkwardly for a long moment, until Janet finally stepped out of the way to let the two men past.

Daniel didn't waste any time in leaving, and it hurt Janet to see that he was so anxious to get away from her. Not that she could blame him... she hadn't exactly given him the impression before he left that she would be welcoming him back with open arms.

Still, things were different now. She knew why he'd done what he'd done. She had to let him know that she was sorry, and that she was willing to just forget about what had happened between them over the past few days and concentrate on making their daughter well again.

Making their daughter well again... she could hardly believe it was true. And the baby Daniel had brought back... he'd said it had been made from his DNA. Had they cloned him? Had they somehow manufactured a baby using his sperm? She had so many questions, and nobody to give her any answers.

By the time she exited the gateroom, Daniel and Teal'c were already out of sight. Janet figured they'd gone to the locker room to shed their gear, so she headed in that direction.

A couple of the members of SG-2 were just leaving their locker room when she got there. Once they went on their way, the corridor was deserted. She stationed herself a few feet away from SG-1's door and waited.

Only a minute or two passed before Teal'c emerged from the room. When he saw her, he bowed his head slightly. "Dr. Fraiser," he said quietly. "I believe Daniel Jackson will be ready momentarily."

"Thank you, Teal'c," Janet said.

Teal'c bowed his head again and walked away.

As soon as he was gone, Janet went to the door of SG-1's locker room and slowly turned the handle. She pushed it open just enough to poke her head inside, hoping that if Daniel was busy with something he wouldn't even notice she was there.

He did. He was sitting on the bench in the middle of the room with his head in his hands, but when he realized she was there, he dropped his hands to the bench and used them to prop himself up.

Janet's heart broke when she saw the pain in his eyes. She opened the door all the way and stepped inside, closing it behind her. "Daniel," she said, moving slowly towards him. "Are you alright?"

Daniel sniffed and shook his head. It was only then that Janet saw the tears on his cheeks, and as she got closer, she saw that he was shaking.

"Sweetheart," she soothed, sitting down beside him and stroking his back. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know what you were going to do."

Daniel swiped his hand across his face and shook his head again. He seemed to be trying to say something, but instead his face crumpled and he shuddered.

Janet knew without being told what was going through his mind. All the nightmares, all the memories he'd been trying so hard to repress... he'd had to face them all at once, and it was finally catching up to him.

She put her arms around his neck and gently drew him down to rest his head against her chest. Then she held on tight as he tried desperately not to fall apart.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

To be continued...


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

As relieved as he was that Janet didn't seem to hate him anymore, Daniel got away from her as soon as he could. His skin was still crawling from being in _that place_ again, and he was desperate to have a shower and wash the sensation away.

He couldn't believe how suddenly it had hit him once he was back on the base and his adrenaline had started to wear off. While he'd actually been there, he'd somehow managed not to think too closely about where he was and what he was doing. Now it was all he _could_ think about.

_"Minal kara!"_

_"I wish you'd just tell me what you want," he groaned. "I'm not one of your animals. I would understand you if you'd just try to communicate with me."_

_It wasn't interested in communication. It threw him back on the metal slab he'd been given for a bed and held him there while another one started poking around at his most sensitive area._

_He finally snapped. He'd had enough. If they wanted to treat him like an animal, he'd start behaving like one._

_With a loud scream he lashed out, kicking and scratching and biting and doing whatever was necessary to get free. The pain in his head was intense, but he didn't care. He started to run._

_He didn't get very far before he was surrounded. The pain in his head escalated until he felt it would explode. Then everything went black._

_Through the blackness over his eyes and the fog over his mind, he could hear them moving and feel their clammy hands as they tied him to the slab. Then they left. Thank God they'd left._

_But then they came back. He screamed when they touched him down there again. He screamed as loud as he possibly could, hoping their eardrums would burst and they would have to leave him alone._

_He felt a sharp pain in his arm as though they'd slit it open. Moments later, his body was wracked with pain so intense that he couldn't even draw breath. When it subsided, he sucked in a lungful of air and tried to scream again. The pain came back, just as intense as before._

_Once he regained his breath, he lay still and quiet while he recovered from the jolts. He could no longer see, move, or speak. He just lay there in numb silence while they violated him..._

Daniel shuddered as he left the shower stall and grabbed a towel. If there was one memory he'd hoped would never come to mind again, it was that one. He'd never felt so exposed, powerless, and terrified in his life as he had that day.

As soon as he'd picked up that child, it had all come flooding back. Somehow he knew it had been created from his sperm before Syun had hinted as much. He didn't know how they'd done it, and he wasn't sure he even wanted to know. All he knew was that there was no way in hell he was going to let that child go through what they'd put him through.

With that resolve made, Daniel quickly dressed and headed to the infirmary. He wasn't quite sure what to expect when he got there, so he hesitated in the doorway for a moment as he looked inside.

He could hear a baby crying quietly, like it had run out of energy but still had tears to shed. It was the saddest sound he'd ever heard. He could see Chloe's incubator on one side of the room, but that didn't seem to be where the sound was coming from.

Daniel had to step further into the infirmary to see the small plastic crib on the other side of the room. There was an IV stand next to it, and the wire leading from the bag into the crib was swaying slightly. He glanced around the room to see if anyone was going to answer the baby's cries, but Dr. Warner was the only one there, and his back was turned to the babies.

Swallowing his anger at the man, Daniel tiptoed over to Chloe's incubator and looked inside. She was fast asleep, but still wheezing with every breath. Her little face was red with fever, and a patch of the perfect skin she'd once had on her arm was starting to dry out and flake.

He could only stand that sight for a second, so he dragged himself away from her and towards the other baby.

This baby was in more or less the same kind of contraption as Chloe, only the sides were a little shallower and it wasn't enclosed. He was glad of that. The poor little tyke looked miserable and terrified, and Daniel knew he couldn't have handled it if he couldn't at least touch it. He reached in and laid his hand on the baby's stomach, hoping that would be enough to reassure it.

The baby jumped at the touch, and opened its wet eyes to look up at Daniel fearfully. That little look was like a dagger to Daniel's heart. God, what had those monsters done to this child?

"It's okay," he whispered, stroking the baby's bare stomach gently. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

"He hasn't stopped crying since you brought him here," Dr. Warner said, finally noticing Daniel's presence and crossing the room to stand beside him.

"He?" Daniel repeated. He looked back down at the baby and was surprised that he couldn't tell it was a boy from the start.

"I haven't received the results from the blood tests yet," Warner went on, "so I'm not sure yet whether he's... your, um... clone."

Daniel had to chuckle at that, though he found no humour in the situation. "He's not my clone," he said. "They... had my sperm."

Warner went silent for a moment, and then gave an awkward, "Oh." He took a deep breath and continued, "Well, however they created him, they haven't been taking very good care of him. He's incredibly small for his age to begin with..."

"Age?" Daniel asked. "How old?"

"I believe he's somewhere around five months."

Daniel did a quick calculation in his head, and his stomach turned at the result. If they'd given the boy a nine-month gestation period, they must have started the process as soon as he'd escaped. They must have been planning this all along.

"I also have no idea what kind of experiments they may have done on him, but he has all kinds of needle marks on his skin, especially on his upper chest. He seems very weak, and is extremely dehydrated, so I've got him on... wait, what are you doing?"

Daniel wasn't listening. He couldn't take it any longer - they were just standing there staring at the boy while he cried and waved his arms with a complete lack of coordination. That was exactly what _they_ had done. He'd been without love and care for the first five months of his life. Daniel didn't want that to go on for another second.

He gently slipped his hands under the boy's frail little body and scooped him up into his arms. Once he was nestled against Daniel's shoulder, Daniel unhooked the IV bag from its stand and tucked it in the crook of his free arm.

"Daniel, you really shouldn't do that," Warner said, moving as if to take the baby away from him.

"It's okay," a voice said from the door. "Let him take him."

Daniel and Warner turned to see Janet leaning against the doorframe, watching them. "How long have you been standing there?" Daniel asked.

Janet shrugged. "Not long. Here," she said, walking over to a rocking chair in the corner of the room. "Bring him over here."

Daniel obediently moved over to the chair and sat down, cradling the baby in one arm and the IV bag in the other. Janet brought the IV stand over and took the bag from him to hook it back up, and then she grabbed a blanket from the counter beside him and helped him wrap it around the baby.

By this point, the baby's cries had tapered off to the occasional whimper. He seemed to have worn himself out, and was finally drifting off to sleep. Daniel couldn't tear his eyes away from his tear-stained face. He could tell that it looked like a miniature version of his own, and it was a little frightening.

He couldn't believe how quickly his life had changed - first Chloe, and now this baby. And if this baby could save Chloe...

Daniel looked up at Janet as she stood beside him, stroking his damp hair and watching the baby sleep. "We... we can take him in, can't we?" he said.

Janet didn't seem surprised by the question, but she didn't seem overly enthused, either. "Are you sure you could handle that, Daniel?" she asked. "If he brings back memories of that place..."

"Everything in my life brings back memories of that place," Daniel said. "He needs us. Just as much as, or maybe even more than, Chloe does."

Janet nodded, but stayed silent for a long moment. Finally she leaned forward and touched the baby's face. "He needs a name," she said.

Daniel smiled, knowing that was her way of saying yes. "Yes, he does," he said.

Janet looked at Daniel until she caught his eye. "Well?"

"What, you think I should name him?" Daniel asked, confused.

"It's only fair," Janet said. "He's your son."

Daniel swallowed hard at the implications in this statement. His son... not hers. "Are you going to maintain that attitude indefinitely?" he asked before he could think twice about his choice of words.

"No, of course not," Janet said in surprise. "I'm just saying that biologically..."

"I know," Daniel said before she could continue that sentence. He didn't really want to think about the biology of the situation again.

He sighed, trying to think of something that would suit the tiny bundle in his arms. They hadn't really considered any boys' names while Janet was pregnant, because they'd known early on that they were having a girl. He considered that he could name him after someone, but that would seem too strange at this point. He wanted to give him a name that was meaningful... something that signified his identity as a human being. He deserved that much after all he'd been through in his young life.

Suddenly, it hit him. The perfect name - symbolic, yet functional. Soft enough to suit him as a child, but strong enough to carry him into manhood. Before he even said it aloud, he knew he could never call the boy anything else.

"Ben."

"Ben?" Janet repeated.

Daniel nodded, keeping his eyes on the baby as he imprinted the face and the name together forever on his mind. "It means 'son.'"

Without even looking at her, he could tell that Janet was smiling. "Then that's a very good name for him," she said. She laid one hand on Daniel's shoulder and stroked the baby's soft hair with the other. "Hi, Ben."

"Doc?"

Daniel and Janet both looked up at Jack's sudden entrance. He seemed to have aimed his hail at Dr. Warner, but then he saw the others in the room.

"Good, you're here, too," he said. "I've been having a lovely conversation with our friend Zombie Boy, and I thought you might like to know what he's told us."

Daniel would have stood up and hurried towards him in his eagerness to hear what Jack had to say, but he settled for leaning forward slightly and holding onto the baby even tighter. "Yes," he said, "what did he say?"

Jack stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked over to them to get a better look at the baby. "We told him the reason you went back to his planet was to see if they had a cure yet. He started getting all excited... seemed to think it was _you_ who needed it, and said over and over that the baby could fix you."

Daniel exchanged a cautiously hopeful look with Janet. "And he... he could do it here?" Daniel asked.

Jack shrugged. "We said he'd need to explain the procedure to one of our doctors first, just so we know what we're getting into..."

"I'll go," Janet said, moving for the door already.

"Wait... Janet!" Daniel called after her.

"I'll go, too," Dr. Warner said. "The more ears, the merrier."

Daniel watched open-mouthed as the two of them practically ran out of the infirmary. He'd wanted to at least discuss things with Janet for a minute before she'd left, but she hadn't even looked back at him. "That was fast," he said.

He expected Jack to follow them, but instead he sauntered closer to Daniel and touched the baby's arm. "How's he doing?" he asked.

"He was crying for a while, but he stopped as soon as I sat down with him," Daniel replied.

"Chloe?"

"She's... unconscious," Daniel said, finally admitting it to himself. He could see her from where he was sitting, and as far as he could tell, she hadn't moved a muscle since he'd walked in the room. Her current state went way beyond sleep, and he knew that if he thought about it too closely, it would be too much for him. He sighed heavily and looked up at Jack. "Jack... you're a pretty good judge of... people," he said. "Do you think Syun can really do what he says he can do?"

Jack paused for a moment as though he was searching for the right words to say. Finally, he shrugged and said, "He isn't sick. That's gotta mean something."

Daniel nodded reluctantly and looked back down at the baby. "Yeah. I've just got kind of a... bad feeling about him."

"You who traveled halfway across the galaxy to talk to the guy?"

"Well, that was before I realized that he only helped me escape because they were planning this," he said, raising the baby for a moment to emphasize his point. "Now I'm starting to wonder if he ever had any kind of compassion in him at all."

"Think he's got some ulterior motive for getting his hands on you again?"

Daniel shuddered at Jack's choice of words. He shook his head vaguely, not sure how to answer him, and started rocking the chair back and forth. The motion was oddly calming, and Daniel found he could zone out the world for a few short minutes as he watched Ben sleep.

He wished he could stay there for the rest of the day, but Jack soon reminded him about the scheduled briefing. If Ben had woken up before Daniel had left the room, he knew he wouldn't have been able to leave him there, but thankfully putting him back in his little crib didn't disturb his sleep at all. Daniel left the two babies in the care of one of the nurses, and dragged himself off to the briefing room.

General Hammond entered the room as the two of them joined Sam and Teal'c at the table, having just left the holding room where they were keeping Syun. "I'm afraid it's slow going down there, Dr. Jackson," he said. "But I know you're anxious to get back to your little ones, so let's try to make this quick."

The phrase "your little ones" took Daniel aback for a moment, and it wasn't until Jack was already partway into his report that Daniel was able to pay attention to what was being said. Even then, he found himself wishing everybody would talk faster.

To his surprise and relief, no one mentioned that fact that he'd shot Teal'c and Jack before making his escape, instead making it sound as though he'd stolen away while their backs were turned. When it came his turn to share his side of the story, he rushed through it in as few breaths as possible, neither confirming nor denying that this was the truth. General Hammond didn't call them on it, so he sent each of his friends a grateful look. They'd kept him out of a lot of trouble.

He hurried out of the room as soon as they were dismissed, and by the time his brain caught up to his feet, he was entering the infirmary.

"Ah, Daniel," Warner greeted him. "We just called General Hammond to find you, and he said you were on your way..."

"What happened?" Daniel demanded, looking from Warner to Janet, who was standing over Chloe's incubator with her back towards him.

"I... think you should probably sit down for this," Warner said, ushering Daniel over to the rocking chair.

"That isn't filling me with a whole lot of confidence," Daniel said, still staring at Janet's back as he sat down. "What did Syun say?"

Warner grabbed a stool and set it down in front of Daniel. "He... told us as much as he could about the procedure in his limited English," he said, slowly sitting down on the stool and folding his hands in his lap. "From what I can tell, it's all to do with the thymus gland. That's probably why they couldn't use you directly to create their cure, Daniel. You see, the thymus is a very important part of our immune system while we're young, but once we hit puberty, we don't really need it anymore, and it shrivels up to let other components of our immune system take control. I believe what Syun is doing is taking something from this baby's thymus gland and injecting it into those who have this disease, effectively allowing their bodies to fight the disease and send it into remission."

Daniel kept half an eye on Janet as he tried to follow what Warner was saying. "Like an immunization," he said.

"More or less, yes. Only the problem is... it's killing the baby's thymus. While a child can live without its thymus gland with the help of medication, this baby is already very frail. I don't know what his chances would be if he undergoes many more of these procedures."

Daniel felt as though the world stopped for a second when he heard this. "What... so he's just... a living donor?" he said, more than a little disgusted by the idea. "They created him to be immune to the disease just so they could kill him?"

Warner sighed and nodded. "I'm afraid that seems to be the case, yes."

Daniel felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. He turned open-mouthed to Janet, but she still hadn't moved a muscle. "Janet?" he said. "What are we going to do?"

Janet stiffened even more and turned her head halfway towards him. "We're going to do the procedure," she said.

Daniel was on his feet before he even knew he was moving. "What?"

"We're going to do exactly what you went back to that planet to do," Janet said, finally turning to face him. "We're going to save our daughter."

Warner cleared his throat quietly and scurried out of the room, but Daniel didn't take his eyes off Janet. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard her say.

"You're willing to kill this child to save ours?" he said in a low voice.

"The damage is already done, Daniel," she said, sounding tired and stressed to the max. "One more procedure..."

"Could kill him!" Daniel said angrily. "Considering how dead set against hurting our baby you were before she was even born, I can't believe you're considering this."

"I'm dead set against hurting our baby _now_, Daniel! If we don't do anything, there's a good chance that both of these babies could die. Isn't it worth it to save one of them?"

Daniel shook his head and paced away from her. He hated to admit it to himself, but she probably had a point - there was no sense in sitting back and watching both babies fade away.

But Ben still had a chance. They couldn't be sure that one more procedure wouldn't be the straw that broke the camel's back. They didn't know how often Syun had done it already, after all. Could they really justify harming him like that?

His mind was flooded with images of Syun's colleagues hovering over him, injecting him with painful needles and doing unspeakable things to him with no anesthetic whatsoever. He couldn't handle the thought of them doing the same to this helpless child. Especially not while he had to stand by and watch.

Despite the foul taste it left in his mouth, however, he knew the decision he had to make. He knew that Janet would never forgive him if he'd done what he'd done and brought home another suffering child for nothing.

He also knew that he would never forgive himself if Ben died after saving Chloe's life.

"Okay," he said, avoiding meeting Janet's gaze. "We'll do it."

He just hoped he wouldn't live to regret that decision.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

To be continued...


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Janet gave Chloe's forehead a soft kiss as Dr. Warner began setting things up for the procedure. She knew she should be helping him, but she was just too tired. She'd received a burst of adrenaline when she'd first gone to see Syun, but it had quickly worn off. Now the only thing keeping her on her feet was the sight of her baby's flushed face and the knowledge that very soon she might be well again.

The hours had passed much too slowly since finding out the cure for this disease was more than just a dream. She'd wanted to begin Chloe's treatment right away, but Dr. Warner had suggested waiting until the boy's test results came back. She knew there was wisdom in that, but she was so anxious to get this over with that she was almost willing to take the risk.

She glanced over at Daniel, who was sitting forward in the rocking chair with his head in his hands. She wished she hadn't had to put him in this position. With all the strain their marriage had already been through, she was afraid this might have been the last straw for both of them. If one or the other of these babies died...

No, she refused to think of that as a possibility. The boy had survived many of these procedures, and he was still hanging on. What was one more? His sacrifice would save Chloe, and she would see to it that he received all the care he needed to recover completely. They would all get through this.

"Dr. Fraiser?" Warner said as he approached her.

Janet turned to face him. "Yes?"

"We just received the results of Ben's blood tests and... his DNA test." He gestured to Daniel as he spoke, and Daniel quickly came to join them. "As we suspected," Warner continued, "Daniel is, indeed, the father."

Daniel sucked in a sharp breath and folded his arms tightly across his chest. "Is he fully human?" he asked.

Warner looked over at Janet gravely before returning his gaze to Daniel. "He's definitely fully human," he said. "But not all of the DNA is yours."

"Which means they got their hands on another human's DNA somewhere," Daniel said with a nod. "I saw references to humans in the records contained in that device Syun gave me, so... that doesn't surprise me."

Janet gave him a sympathetic look when she saw how disturbed he really was by this, but he didn't look at her at all. With a sigh, she asked Warner, "What about the blood test results?"

Warner opened the file he held in his hands and gave it a quick scan. "There are no real surprises here," he said. "He has the same antibodies I saw in your blood, Janet, only a million times more of them. He's severely malnourished, and there's evidence that he recently suffered some kind of infection or virus that we can't identify. Other than that, he seems like a regular human child. Perhaps one born in a third world country... but I can't see anything in these results that would make this treatment a danger to Chloe."

"What about to Ben?" Daniel asked, an edge of anger in his tone. "Will it be a danger to him?"

Warner sighed and shook his head. "I really don't know," he said. "I have no way of knowing what effect this procedure has on him before, during, or after it's performed, so I really can't say..."

"Can't you take a wild guess?" Daniel snapped. "Do you think he's strong enough to handle whatever Syun is going to do to him or not?"

"Daniel..." Janet said quietly.

He still didn't look at her. His eyes stayed focused on Warner's face as he waited for an answer.

"I... believe he will continue to fight," Warner said carefully. "He has survived this long with very little care, and now he's receiving the best care he possibly could. I'm fairly confident that he will pull through it."

Daniel seemed to relax a little then, but he still avoided Janet's gaze at all costs. He took to pacing the room as Warner called for Syun to be brought to the infirmary and began administering the babies' sedatives. She hated to see Daniel looking so worried and alone, but it was obvious that he didn't want to speak to her just yet.

For a moment, she felt angry about this. Did he really think he was the only one suffering here? She was just as anxious for the safety of the babies as he was, but his worry seemed to be focused mainly on Ben. Had he completely forgotten that his daughter - the child made in love with his wife - was hanging by a thread? She didn't want anything to happen to Ben, but while the doctor in her questioned the ethics in harming one patient to save another, knowing that Ben would have been subjected to dozens more of these procedures had they not rescued him in an effort to save Chloe made this one last time seem like nothing at all. Besides, why should those monsters be cured and not her innocent child?

She soon calmed down when she watched Daniel approach Chloe's incubator and look down at her with pain and longing written all over his face. It occurred to her then that he was truly torn - both of these children were his, despite the fact that a few hours earlier he hadn't been aware of the one's existence. She longed to reach out to him and tell him that she understood, but just as she made a move towards him, she heard footsteps approaching the infirmary.

They turned to the doorway to see Colonel O'Neill, Teal'c, General Hammond and a number of SF's escorting Syun into the infirmary. Janet was pleased to see that the alien was in restraints, though he didn't seem very happy about it. At various times during their conversation earlier he had expressed disappointment in the way he was being treated, but instead of eliciting compassion in her, she'd had to fight hard not to laugh out loud. After the way he and his people had treated Daniel and Ben, he expected to come here and walk around the base at will? Never going to happen.

"Minal kara," Syun said as soon as he laid eyes on Daniel. He went to step towards him, but Colonel O'Neill grabbed his arm.

"Ah ah," Colonel O'Neill said. "Daniel's not your patient."

Syun looked confused, glancing from Colonel O'Neill to Daniel and then to Janet. "Fray-dure?" he said.

Janet folded her arms across her chest and gave him a stony glare. "You're here to cure our child," she said.

Syun obviously didn't understand. "Fix... him?" he asked, pointing to Daniel.

Janet shook her head and moved towards Chloe. "Fix her," she said, pointing to the baby.

His confusion morphed into anger for a moment, and he muttered something under his breath in the alien language. Then he straightened his posture and lifted his chin. "I... begin," he said, holding his cuffed hands out to Colonel O'Neill.

Janet glanced at Daniel as Syun's handcuffs were removed, but he was watching the alien unwaveringly. She wasn't sure what to make of Syun's attitude, but whatever the reason for his flash of anger, she didn't like it.

She and Daniel moved closer to the babies as Syun started looking through the needles and other instruments Warner had set up for him. It made Janet's skin crawl to see him hovering over her child with a needle in his hand, but she clenched her teeth and tried not to think about the terrible things he could do with it. He was going to cure her baby. She had to focus on that and forget about everything else.

Still, her face drained of all colour as the needle was inserted into Ben's chest. She suddenly realized that this was probably the first time he had been anesthetized beforehand. It was a sickening thought.

Instinctively, she moved towards Daniel as if for comfort. She didn't realize how close she was to him until her shoulder brushed against his folded arms. She looked up at him, but his eyes were still trained on Syun.

She took a deep breath and went back to watching the procedure.

A few seconds later, she felt Daniel move beside her, and his hand brushed against her side. Janet looked at it for a moment, and then unfolded her own arms so she could slip her hand into his. He squeezed it tightly, giving Janet the impression that he needed the sense of comfort more than she did.

Considering all of the memories that were probably flooding into his mind as he watched Syun's every move, he probably did.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Snow was falling as Sam drove Cassie to the SGC, but Cassie could still see the sunrise through the clouds. It felt weird to be heading to the base so early in the morning, but she couldn't have waited any longer. She would have come the night before, but Sam had told her she'd probably just get in the way while the alien guy was doing whatever he was going to do with the babies. So, the break of dawn it was.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Sam asked for the tenth time since she'd picked her up.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Cassie replied automatically. "I suddenly have a little brother, and he's dying. I want to see him."

Sam gave her a small smile before returning her concentration to the road.

Cassie sighed, anxious to be there already. She remembered the things Daniel had said to her the last time she'd seen him - _"Just because we're not all related by blood, it doesn't make us any less a family... no matter what happens, we love you, and none of this is your fault... I love you. I always have, and I always will. Never forget that, okay?"_ Now that she knew what he'd done the day before, she realized that he'd meant those words as his goodbye.

There was no way in hell she was going to let him leave them now.

She was ready to jump out of the car as soon as it came to a stop in Sam's parking space, but before she could open the door, Sam laid her hand on Cassie's arm.

"I just... feel as though I have to prepare you," Sam said awkwardly. "When I left a little while ago, Chloe's condition was improving, but the boy... he wasn't doing so well. Anything could have happened between now and then, so..."

"So, let's get in there," Cassie said, opening the car door and hopping out. They obviously didn't have a moment to lose.

It seemed like it took forever to get from the car to the infirmary, and Cassie grew more and more nervous with every step. She was so afraid she was too late. She'd been such a pain about Chloe, and she wanted to show Daniel that she didn't really hate her, and wouldn't hate the other kid either. If either of them died and she wasn't there, she knew they'd never consider her part of the babies' lives, and therefore not part of their family. She couldn't let that happen.

"They're in here," Sam said, gesturing to one of the infirmary rooms. She took Cassie's coat and then left her to go in on her own.

Cassie tugged on her sweater nervously, took a deep breath, and stepped through the door.

The first thing her eyes settled on was the rocking chair on one side of the room. Her mom was sitting in it with a baby in her lap, and both of them were fast asleep. Cassie figured that was a good sign - her mom would be wide awake if the babies were dying.

She breathed a sigh of relief and looked over at Daniel, who was standing over a clear plastic box looking down at the other baby. His back was facing her, so she slowly walked over to him, not sure whether to disturb him or not.

Before she'd made up her mind, he looked over his shoulder and saw her. "Hey," he said, turning around and stepping towards her.

Even though she'd been trying to be an independent adult over the past few weeks, as soon as she saw his face and that he was actually happy to see her, she suddenly felt like a little kid in need of parental reassurance again. She held her arms out and hurried over to him, flinging them around his neck and hanging on for dear life.

God, she just wanted things to go back to the way they were before all this crap. She wanted her mom and dad back... the people who'd stuck right by her through the most horrifying time of her life. She'd pushed them away as soon as stuff started going wrong for them, and yet they still wanted her around. She wished she could go back and change it all - actually be helpful to them rather than make their lives even more miserable.

But, judging by the way Daniel hugged her back, maybe she didn't need to. "I'm glad you're okay," she said into his shoulder as she squeezed him tighter.

Daniel kissed the side of her head. "Thanks for coming, Cass," he said.

Cassie finally let go of him to get a look at the baby, but Daniel kept his arm around her shoulders. "How are the babies?" she asked, the sight of the one before her not filling her with a lot of hope.

"Chloe's doing a lot better," Daniel said, gesturing across the room to her mom. "Your mom just fed her, and... I guess they both fell asleep." He smiled softly as he looked at them, but it faded when he turned his attention back to the boy. "Ben is... hanging in there," he said.

"Ben?" Cassie repeated. "Is that his name?"

"Yeah. No one told you?"

Cassie shook her head. "Did you guys name him?"

"Yeah," Daniel said. "It means 'son,' so... I thought it was appropriate."

"He's really yours?" Cassie asked, looking up at Daniel's face.

Daniel nodded slowly. "He's really mine."

Cassie wrapped her arm around Daniel's waist and leaned against him as she watched the tiny baby sleep. He looked so skinny and pale, but she could tell by looking at his wrinkled-up face that he was fighting hard to stay alive.

She shivered and started inwardly cheering him on. She hadn't come out here at this hour of the morning just to watch her baby brother die.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

To be continued...


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Daniel tried to be covert in taking Chloe away from Janet, but it didn't work. As soon as he leaned down to scoop the baby out of her arms, Janet woke up.

"Sorry," he said, standing up straight again as Janet's hold on Chloe tightened. "I didn't mean to wake you."

Janet yawned and smiled. "That's okay," she said. "I didn't realize I'd dozed off. Did you want something?"

"I was just going to put Chloe back in her crib so she didn't disturb you, but it doesn't matter now." He knelt down beside the chair and kissed Chloe's downy head. "Her fever's gone," he said, stroking her cheek with the back of his finger.

Janet pressed a hand to Chloe's forehead and nodded. "So it is," she said. "What a relief." She sighed and kissed Chloe's face, and then looked over at Daniel. "Daniel, listen... about earlier..."

Daniel held up a hand to silence her. "Don't worry about it," he said. "I understand your position in all of this, believe me. I was just... frustrated that we couldn't find a better way to help Chloe."

Janet gave him a sympathetic smile. "How's Ben doing?" she asked, trying to see him over her shoulder.

"They've got him on something to help his immune system, and so far he seems to be responding well to it," Daniel replied. "Warner said the next few hours should tell, but he seems to be pretty much out of the woods now."

"That's great. Maybe all he needed was the proper care and medicine after all."

"Maybe."

He gave Chloe another kiss as they fell silent, and she sighed in her sleep. Daniel smiled and looked up at Janet. He could tell when their eyes met that they were thinking the same thing - they finally had their beautiful, healthy baby back.

They maintained the eye contact for a long moment, something they hadn't done for what seemed a very long time. It was amazing how much stronger Daniel started to feel with each passing second because of that simple connection. In an instant, he'd forgotten why there had been so much tension between them for so long.

Soon Janet reached out her free hand and stroked the side of his face. When she threaded her fingers through his hair, he closed his eyes and leaned into her palm, soaking up the sensations like a sponge. It felt like years since they'd been relaxed enough to share any kind of loving, intimate contact, and he wanted to make it last as long as possible.

He opened his eyes just in time to see Janet leaning towards him, and closed them again as she gently kissed his lips. The world seemed to stop for a moment, just as it had the first time they'd ever kissed. That was a feeling he knew would never get old.

She ended the kiss much too soon, but leaned her forehead against his as he cupped her face in his hand. "I love you," she whispered.

Daniel smiled. "I love you, too," he said. He stroked her cheek as she massaged his scalp. "We're okay," he said, finally feeling that the words were true.

Just then, Chloe squirmed in Janet's lap and gave a long, soft groan as protest to finding herself in such a cramped position. Daniel and Janet laughed as Janet sat back and lifted the baby to her shoulder.

"Sorry, sweetie," Janet crooned. "Mommy didn't mean to squish you like that."

Daniel gave Janet's leg a gentle squeeze and then rose to his feet as she began to rock the baby back to sleep. He could have stood there and watched the domestic sight all day, but Cassie chose that moment to return from getting breakfast in the commissary.

"Hey, you're awake," she said when she saw Janet. She hurried over to give her a quick kiss on the cheek and say hi to Chloe. "She looks okay," she said, taking one of Chloe's tiny hands in hers. "Does that mean it really worked?"

Janet smiled and nodded. "We're hoping so."

Daniel decided he should give Janet and Cassie a few moments alone, so he nodded to Cassie in acknowledgment and went back to check on Ben.

The boy was still asleep, and IV fluids were pouring into his body through various needles in his skin. Daniel knew that medically speaking his condition was improving, but the sight of him wasn't exactly encouraging.

"Hang in there, little guy," he murmured. It just wouldn't be fair if he lost his battle now.

Barely a minute passed before Daniel heard a flurry of footsteps out in the corridor, and he turned to see General Hammond and a handful of airmen entering the room.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Dr. Jackson, I'm afraid there's a problem," Hammond said in his most business-like tone. "The NID have received word of Syun's presence here and the medical technology at his disposal, and they have insisted they be allowed to 'interview' him."

"Interview?" Daniel scoffed. "You mean interrogate and study."

General Hammond nodded. "For that reason, I think it's best that we send him back to his own world as quickly as possible. I estimate they'll be here within the hour."

"Wait!" Janet said, standing up and handing Chloe to Cassie so she could join Daniel and Hammond. "What if something goes wrong and we need him to put it right? It's only been a few hours..."

"I realize this is going to be an inconvenience, Doctor," Hammond said sternly, "but there's no other way around it. If the NID get their hands on him, he'll be gone soon anyway. Now, I've requested he be brought here to check on the children one more time, and then he will be escorted to the gateroom. If you wish to ask him any questions when he gets here, please do so as quickly as you can."

"Yes, Sir," Janet said, though she didn't seem very happy about it.

Daniel draped his arm around her shoulders and drew her close to his side. He had to admit, he felt better knowing Syun was close at hand if Chloe suddenly started getting worse again, but he knew General Hammond was doing the right thing. As much as he hated what had been done to him and to Ben, he wouldn't want Syun to be a lab rat for the NID. No one deserved that.

A few seconds later, Syun was escorted into the room by Jack, Teal'c, Sam, and a couple of SF's. Cassie came up behind Janet and handed her the baby so she could scoot across the room out of the way. Daniel didn't blame her for not wanting to get close to Syun. He didn't look like a happy camper.

"See... baby?" he said.

Janet stepped towards him with Chloe half asleep in her arms, but Syun only looked at the girl for a moment.

"No," he said. "See... boy."

Daniel and Janet exchanged confused looks, but Daniel led him over to Ben's crib without a word.

Syun scanned the baby and the crib for a moment, and then started to unhook his IV's.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Daniel demanded.

"Me... take."

Daniel's stomach sank like a stone. "What? No!" He yanked Syun's hands away and snatched Ben from the crib before Syun had the chance. "He stays."

"Me... take."

Daniel shook his head. "No. The boy stays with me."

Syun screeched in anger and lunged for the baby. "TAKE!"

Daniel quickly backed away as the SF's grabbed Syun's arms and fastened them behind his back. The babies both woke up at the sound of Syun's angry shouts and started to cry. Daniel hugged Ben tightly and motioned for Janet to get as far away from Syun as she could.

"Minal kara!" Syun cried, struggling to get away from the guards. "Mine!"

"You're not taking him," Daniel said over the sound of the babies' cries. "You'll kill him."

"Me... made... him!"

It took all of Daniel's restraint not to fly at him and let out all of his rage on the alien's indignant face. "From me!" he shouted. "You used me... you hurt me, you humiliated me, you gave me your disease, you treated me like I was nothing! Now you want to do the same to him?"

"Him... fix... me!"

Daniel nodded. "Well, then he's done what you wanted him to do. Now let him live."

Syun stared him down for a few moments, but then his demeanour changed. Suddenly he was eerily calm as he said quietly, "Him... live. Make... more."

Daniel felt sick. "Don't," he said, though he knew it was no use. They had more sperm. They could make as many children as they wanted.

Syun lifted his chin in triumph and started walking towards the door. The guards accompanied him, with Teal'c following behind.

Everyone else was left stunned and shaken by the scene.

"What the hell just happened?" Jack said in bewilderment.

General Hammond gave Daniel a sympathetic look before turning and leaving the infirmary along with the airmen he'd arrived with. Sam stood on the far side of the room with her arm around Cassie, both of them looking solemn and pale. Janet came to stand at Daniel's side, still holding onto Chloe as she tried to calm her down. Nobody seemed to know what to do or say.

Finally, Janet handed Chloe to Jack and held her arms out to Daniel. "Here, let me take him," she said. "He needs those IV's."

Daniel was reluctant to part with him, as Ben was not only screaming now but also shaking. He knew Janet was right, but sticking needles in him and leaving him on his own to cry was exactly what Syun had done. "Can.. can I keep on holding him?" he asked. "I'll sit down with him and you can put the IV stands beside me."

Janet laid her hand on Daniel's arm and gave it an encouraging squeeze. "Okay," she said. "Go sit down."

Daniel sat down in the rocking chair, and Janet reinserted Ben's IV's while everyone else stood around and watched. His cries soon died down as Daniel began to rock, but he didn't fall asleep. He lay there looking up at the people gathered around him, almost as if he knew this was his new family. Daniel liked to think he did.

Teal'c returned a few minutes later and announced that Syun was gone. Daniel felt more than a little relieved knowing he'd never have to see that face again. He tried not to think about the other children Syun was going to manufacture in Ben's place. He'd saved this one. That was all he could really do for now.

By this time, Janet had taken Chloe back from Jack and gotten herself settled into a bed across the room to feed her, so she was out of earshot when General Hammond returned to the infirmary close behind Teal'c. "The NID have just arrived," he said. "They already know that Syun is no longer here, so they've requested they be allowed to see the children."

Daniel was sure he couldn't have heard correctly. "Excuse me?"

"Don't worry, Dr. Jackson, I gave them a flat-out no," Hammond said. "They're not happy about it, as you may well imagine. I told them the babies are much too sick right now, but they have insisted they at least speak with you at some point today."

Daniel sighed and laid his head back against the chair. "Alright," he said. "I'll talk to them later. But there's no way in hell they're getting anywhere near my kids."

Hammond nodded and turned on his heel to leave the room.

"What was that?" Jack asked, coming to stand behind Daniel's chair.

"NID," Daniel said. No other words were really necessary.

He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Janet hadn't heard, and thankfully she seemed to be perfectly unaware of what had just happened.

Daniel hoped she stayed that way.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

To be continued...


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"You know you can't hold him forever, right?"

Daniel snapped out of whatever daydream he'd been in when Janet spoke, and looked up at her as she leaned over the back of the rocking chair. "I know," he said with a smile. "He'll get a little too heavy when he's a teenager."

Janet smiled and kissed Daniel's temple. It was so good to hear him anticipating a long future for Ben. "He really seems to be improving," she said. "He's getting some healthy colour in his face."

Daniel nodded and kissed Ben's forehead as he slept. "He's sleeping more peacefully now, too," he said. "A few hours ago he seemed to be in pain."

Janet reached out to stroke Ben's hair, but stopped when he squirmed and turned his head to the side. The last thing she wanted to do was wake him.

"Dr. Jackson?"

They both looked up as General Hammond entered the room, and Janet was confused by the meaningful look he gave Daniel. "What is it?" she asked.

Daniel sat forward in his chair and lifted Ben to his shoulder as he started to stand. "Could you take him for a few minutes?" he asked. "Chloe's asleep, right?"

"Yes, but..." Her sentence was cut short as Daniel handed her the sleeping child. She took him and gently laid him against her shoulder, trying not to jostle him awake while also trying not to get tangled up in his IV lines. "Where are you going?" she asked as Daniel moved for the door.

"I just have to go to another briefing," Daniel said. "I'll be as quick as I can."

Janet didn't even bother trying to protest, as Daniel and Hammond vanished in a matter of seconds. She wasn't sure what kind of briefing would require Hammond to come and fetch Daniel himself like that, but she figured Daniel would tell her later if it was anything important.

It occurred to her as she sat down with Ben in her arms that aside from the babies, there was no one else in the room. Sam had taken Cassie home earlier, and Dr. Warner was attending to other matters, so until one of the nurses came to check on them, she was alone with the children.

Her children. For the first time, as she looked down at Ben's thin little face, she felt that he was hers.

She didn't know why it had taken her so long to feel anything maternal towards him. After all, Cassie wasn't her daughter by blood, but she'd had no trouble taking her as her own. For some reason, it felt different with Ben. At first he'd been a reminder of all the horrible things that had been done to her husband, and then he'd been a means to help her daughter. Now... now he was just a helpless little boy who needed a mother's care.

"You look so much like your daddy," she whispered as she dropped a kiss on his cheek. She sighed, tears coming to her eyes as she thought about all the pain and fear this child had already experienced in his short life. "We are going to take such good care of you," she said. "Nobody will ever, ever hurt you again."

Janet felt a stab of guilt as she said those words, knowing she'd been the cause of a small amount of that hurt. She knew she'd have to live with that guilt for the rest of her life, but the knowledge that both of the children had come through this alive lifted a considerable weight from her shoulders. If Ben hadn't survived...

She banished that thought from her mind and cradled Ben even closer against her chest. He had survived. He was part of their family now. There was no sense in worrying about what could have happened when everything was just fine.

"It's all in the past now," she said as she stroked his hair. So much like Daniel...

He grunted a moment later and started to stretch his limbs as his eyes flickered open. Janet braced herself, knowing he would probably cry at finding himself in the arms of a stranger.

But he didn't cry. He yawned and looked up at her with heavy-lidded eyes for a moment, and then fell back to sleep.

Janet smiled and relaxed again. Yes, everything was just fine.

Daniel returned a few minutes later looking nervous and agitated. He didn't say a word as he came over to her and held out his arms for Ben.

Janet gently passed the baby over to him and stood up to let him sit down in the chair again. "What happened?" she asked.

Daniel sighed heavily and waited until he and Ben were settled before he spoke. "It's... the NID," he said. "They're upset that they couldn't get their hands on Syun before he left."

Janet nodded in understanding and rubbed Daniel's shoulder sympathetically. "It doesn't really surprise me," she said.

Daniel gave his head a quick shake and looked up to give her a small smile. "How was he?" he asked.

"He woke up for a second, but just yawned and went back to sleep," she said, squatting down beside them.

Daniel chuckled. "He must be feeling a lot better then," he said. He met Janet's gaze and their eyes locked as they smiled lovingly at each other.

Janet sighed and replied with two words that fit the situation in so many ways - "Much better."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Daniel grinned when he pulled into the driveway saw the banner hanging over the front porch of the house - _"Welcome Home Chloe and Ben!"_

Janet looked over at him and laughed. "I wonder whose idea that was?" she said.

"Either Sam's or Cassie's," Daniel said as he unbuckled his seatbelt. "My money's on Cassie."

"Never would have thought that would happen," Janet said as she opened her door and stepped out of the car.

Daniel nodded in agreement. Cassie had changed a lot over the past few days.

As he and Janet opened the back doors of the car to take the babies out of their car seats, the front door of the house opened and Jack, Sam, Teal'c, and Cassie poured out of the house and down the front steps. They all shouted their greetings until Daniel playfully motioned for them to cut it out. "You'll wake them!" he hissed.

"Sorry!" Jack yelled. "We'll be quiet now."

Daniel caught Janet's eye as they both leaned into the car, and made an exasperated face.

She laughed and started removing Chloe's seat. "They mean well," she said.

Daniel rolled his eyes, but had to agree. It was just Jack's way of showing he cared.

As soon as Daniel started working to get Ben out of the car, the boy woke up and started crying. Daniel spoke to him soothingly as he unbuckled the seat, but his cries only became more frantic with each passing moment.

He looked over at Janet to see that she'd already freed Chloe's seat and was carrying it out of the car with Chloe still fast asleep inside. He sighed. He just couldn't do it... he couldn't leave Ben tied into his seat when he was crying like that.

His fingers were shaking with urgency as he unclasped the last of the buckles and lifted the boy out. "It's okay," he whispered into Ben's ear as he held him to his shoulder. "Daddy's got you now."

"Is everything okay?" Sam asked as she approached the car.

"Yeah, it's fine," Daniel said, grabbing the seat in his free hand and kicking the car door closed. "I think he just doesn't like being strapped into that thing."

Ben's cries had ceased by the time they all entered the house, so Daniel was free to look around at the display before him. He couldn't believe all the stuff that was crammed into his living room. There was an extra crib, playpen, baby swing, high chair, rocking chair, boxes of diapers, baby food, toys... and that was just what Daniel could see from the entryway.

"What... have you guys done?" he said in surprise.

"We figured you'd need two of everything now, so... we got you two of everything," Jack said, looking mighty proud of himself.

"Oh my gosh, there are so many clothes in here!" Janet exclaimed as she opened a little chest of drawers. She passed Chloe over to Cassie so she could start leafing through them. She laughed as she pulled out a tiny pair of air force BDU's. "Who bought this!"

Daniel looked at Jack, but Jack and Sam were staring at Teal'c with amused looks on their faces.

Teal'c lifted his chin with as much dignity as he could muster. "I believe the son of a warrior is never too young to follow in the footsteps of his father," he said.

Daniel had never been so touched by anything in his life. "Thanks, Teal'c," he said.

Sam laughed. "Admit it, Teal'c, you just thought they were cute."

Teal'c pretended to ignore her, and bowed his head slightly to Daniel before walking calmly across the room.

The others snickered behind his back, but Daniel just beamed. He hadn't felt this good in months.

"Come over here, Mom," Cassie said, leading Janet over to the far side of the living room. "We bought two of these, one for Chloe and one for Ben."

Janet picked up a little carousel from the coffee table and flipped a switch on its side. It started to turn while playing Somewhere Over the Rainbow in soft, fairy-like chimes. "They're beautiful," she said. "I know they'll love them."

"Guys," Daniel said a minute later as he found yet another riding toy behind a chair, "I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but... where the hell are we going to put all this stuff?"

"I'm sure we'll find somewhere," Janet said, taking Chloe back from Cassie as the baby started to fuss. "We can fit some of it into the nursery, some in our bedroom, and some of it can stay down here. The things we can't use yet can be packed away until they're needed."

"You make it sound so simple," Daniel said with a laugh.

"Hey, you didn't think we were just gonna dump this stuff on you and leave, did you?" Jack said indignantly. "We're gonna help you move it around. Just sit your ass down and tell us where everything goes."

Daniel felt almost like a king as he and Janet sat there for the next hour ordering the others around. Pretty soon, the house looked like it had always had baby furniture and toys scattered in amongst the rest of their things. Daniel wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Once everything was in place, Jack, Sam, and Teal'c said their goodbyes and left to allow the new family some time together. Cassie helped Daniel feed Ben as Janet fed Chloe, and then they put the babies down for a nap in their respective cribs. Daniel wasn't sure how, but both cribs had been crammed into the nursery without making it seem too crowded. It just looked... right.

"This is really going to work, isn't it?" he said as they left the room and closed the door behind them, hardly believing everything could fall into place so easily.

"Of course it is," Janet said. "We're going to _make_ it work." She wrapped her arm around Daniel's waist and her other arm around Cassie's, and drew them all together in a group hug.

It lasted about ten seconds before Cassie groaned, "Mooom," and squirmed away.

Daniel laughed and let Cassie go, wrapping both arms tightly around his wife. It all really did seem too good to be true, but he had every intention of enjoying his happiness while it lasted.

Memories of _that place_ couldn't have been farther from his mind as he spent the afternoon laughing and talking with his wife and daughter. For the first time since his abduction, he felt as though he could finally move on - that those aliens no longer had possession of him. He'd finally had the chance to fight back, and he'd won. They could never touch him or his son again.

Not even in his dreams.

The End


End file.
